Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare
by darkheart753
Summary: A black Charmander who witnessed the death of the only Pokemon who cared for him. A white Cubone who never knew her family. So different, yet they shared the same goal: eliminate the evil Pokemon responsible for their suffering...
1. Kahrik's Promise

My first Pokemon story. After reading a couple (Okay, literally 2) stories told from the POV of a Pokemon, I decided I wanted to get in on the action. The idea popped into my head kind of out of the blue, though. I created both teams at one point, Team Alpha, when I started with a Charmander, and Team Omega, in RRT, when you could still start with my dearest Cubone.

This story is based around two teams, Alpha and Omega. Together, they must combat the most ruthless team of rogues in this area, Team Ragnarok (consisting of Death the Honchkrow, War the Houndoom, Pestilence the Shiftry, and Famine the Crawdaunt).

I don't own Pokemon. I only own the storyline and... well, technically the OC's used thus far are only half mine, aren't they?

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 1: Kahrik's Promise**

**Kahrik's POV**

It was an abnormally cold day for winter, even in the Southern Wastes. The peninsula was wracked with frosty blizzards, tearing away at the snow-peaked mountains. Most Pokemon dared not to brave the storm, hiding instead in their dens as they waited for the storms to pass.

Of course, we're not most Pokemon. My name is Kahrik. I'm the leader exploration team named Team Alpha. My team includes myself, a black Charmander, my best friend Spirit, a Dratini, and Victor, a Trapinch. We're very well known around these parts, and our name certainly does us justice. We're the best.

You're probably wondering what we were doing in the Southern Wastes in the middle of winter, especially during a storm the likes of this. We were there because we received a distress call from a fellow team, Team Omega. They were trapped in this mess, somewhere in Rime Forest. Unfortunately, the only way to get to Rime Forest was to battle our way through the blizzard and find the entrance.

I was glad we had enough rope to tie ourselves together, or we would've been separated ages ago. My tail was the only source of light in this quandary, and even that was dim. On top of that, we could barely hear each other over the roar of the winds. If we, for whatever reason, lost each other, I don't think we could have found each other in time to prevent hypothermia from setting in. I felt bad for my partners. Ground and Dragon Pokemon don't do well in the cold. Either way, we needed to find a shelter where we could warm up and rest, or we'd be about as useful as Hoppip in a volcano.

Actually, I suppose Hoppip could be useful in a volcano. The suckers almost never land, so maybe they could get to the top, assuming they had a strong enough Water or Rock Pokemon to defend them. Maybe a better comparison would be Magikarp in a thunderstorm. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Spirit's voice was numb and shaky as he shouted as best he could so I could hear him. "K-K-Kahrik, we need to g-g-g-get the hell out of th-th-th-th-th-this st-storm!" The blistering cold didn't help his usual stutter. I squinted through the storm and turned my head away from the wind, trying desperately to see a cave, or an abandoned den, anything to get out of this wind.

Victor stumbled forward, dragging Spirit with him thanks to the rope around their waists. "Kahrik, this mess is forming ice on my jaws. It's not easy for even you or Spirit to make your way through this, but I've got short legs! We need to get out of this snow, or I'm going to evolve into a Mud-type Pokemon!"

"Victor, will you keep your mouth shut!" My low, powerful voice rang out easily, even with the howling zephyr. "I know damn good and well how hard it is for you to make your way through the snow, but you're not the only one in danger here! Spirit is more likely to get hypothermia than either you or me. Our body temperatures are customized to deal with hot environments, so our temperature matches volcanos and deserts. Spirit is used to warm ocean waters, and he's sliding around on the snow. At least you and I can walk." I looked over him and smirked. "Besides, there's somewhere for us to seek shelter right there." With that, I dragged my companions in the opposite direction Victor was facing, towards a hidden cave in the snow. Only the very top of the cave entrance was visible above the snow. If I had looked up maybe five minutes later, I would have never seen it. However, thanks to Victor's giant mouth, we found sanctuary from the storm.

Once inside, I removed some throwing sticks from the satchel Victor carried and arranged them in a pile, as neatly as possible. Then, I took a few stones from the back of the cave and placed them in a circle around the pile of sticks.

Spirit made his way over and looked down at the sticks. "Th-Th-Those are th-the only wea-wea-weapons we h-have, K-Kahrik. A-A-A-Are you s-s-s-sure we should b-b-b-b-b-b-b-burn them?"

"It's either that or no fire tonight," I replied evenly, finishing my work and examining the pile. "We need to keep warm, and my tail won't be enough to do that." With that, I used a short burst of Flamethrower to light the sticks ablaze. Soon, we had a full fire going, and I tossed more sticks on the pile to keep the fire going.

Victor set the satchel down next to me and laid down near the fire as Spirit curled up. "What's for dinner? I'm starving!"

In response, I dug through the satchel until I found an apple. I removed it solemnly and set it down near the fire, removing another stick from our supplies and driving it through the core of the apple. Then, I held it over the fire to roast. "Roast apple."

"You _do _mean apple_s_, right Kahrik? We _do_ have more than one apple, right?" Victor pressed.

I shook my head. "We have to be careful how much we eat," I muttered, turning the apple around. "We have no idea how long we're going to be trapped here, and there aren't any places we can get more food between here and our destination. What we have must last until we can leave the peninsula."

Spirit nodded. "M-M-Makes sense t-t-to me," he stammered, laying his head down, using the satchel as a pillow.

The Trapinch, instead, groaned. "I'm going to starve."

"You're not the only one. Now stop complaining." I removed the roasted apple from the flames and used a Slash to slice it into three parts, handing my partners the largest of the three.

Victor wolfed his down immediately, but Spirit stared at his own piece and then at mine. "B-B-But you g-g-got the sma-smallest p-p-p-piece, K-Kahrik."

Without responding, I took a bite of my own apple slice. "Eat your dinner, Spirit."

He bowed his head in understanding, then ate his apple and curled up to sleep. "Good night, my friend."

"Until tomorrow, partner." With that, I finished my food and laid down, curling my tail around me and falling into a deep slumber.

_I awakened slowly, but I wasn't where I fell asleep. I glanced at my surroundings. That's when I realized this was all a dream. I was back home in the Scorched Valley, in my room at my parent's house. My home. The home that burned to the ground after the evil Team Ragnarok came and ravaged the valley, leaving only death and suffering in its wake. Team Ragnarok consisted of War, a Houndoom, Pestilence, a Shiftry, and Famine, a Crawdaunt, led by Death, a Honchkrow._

_The only reason I survived was because Death thought I was the strange-colored Charmander from the prophecy. They kidnapped me, and tortured me, trying to get me to swear loyalty to Death. They forced me to fight against other Pokemon, weak Pokemon, all innocent children they tore from their homes. They tried to make me kill them and taint my clean hands with the blood of the demure babes. When I refused, they made me watch as they tortured them to death, all the while making me listen to their shrieks, their screams for help. They gave me a tattoo, Honchkrow's symbol inked into my right shoulder. It was the skull of a Murkrow with his special crest carved into the cheek. It was that night that I made my escape, aided by Spirit and Victor, two fellow prisoners. We formed an exploration team so we could grow strong enough to one day face Team Ragnarok and get revenge for the innocent lives they took._

_An omniscient voice called out from my right. "Over here, Kahrik," it whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. "Come here."_

_It was like I had no control over my legs. I shuffled over to the door and pulled it open. I nearly screamed at the sight I saw. There was some sort of black hole-type thing just outside my bedroom, sucking each plank of wood that built the house in one by one. I grasped the door jam as tightly as I could and fought the urge to squeal for help._

_The voice rang out again. "Let go, Kahrik." It grew darker and more villainous, turning into a voice I knew all too well. "Embrace your dark fate!" I felt talons rake my arms and I looked behind me, grunting in pain. Death was flying behind me, trying to tear me away from the door. "Fulfill the dark side of the prophecy, or burn in the hell that comes after!"_

"_Never!" I shouted, digging my claws into the floor and lunging at him, ready to rake my claws through his wings and thrust him into the black hole. "I'll never do it!"_

"_THEN PERISH!" he roared, dodging my attack before digging his talons into my back and throwing my bloodied body into the black hole._

_But the dream didn't end there. As I passed through the black hole, I was plunged into a bright, white nothingness. I glanced to my left and right, looking for anyone or anything I could recognize. "Are you alright?" a voice, both calm and serene, questioned from behind me._

_I spun around and laid my sight on an light ice blue Pokemon with a flowing blue tail, a jagged blue crest, a fluffy white chest, and broad wings. "You're Articuno," I gasped in awe._

"_Yes, I am Articuno, the Legendary Arctic Bird Pokemon." he replied, tucking in his wings as he walked over to me, his black feet clacking against the ground. "My brothers and I have been watching you and your companions through their adventures."_

"_Wait, you're an Ice/Flying Pokemon," I answered, narrowing my eyes more in confusion than anger. "How can you talk to me in my dreams?"_

_The bird smiled and chuckled. "Have you forgotten Lugia?"_

_My eyes widened. "Lugia? You mean the Beast of the Sea? How could-" I realized what he meant. Lugia was a legendary Psychic/Flying Pokemon. "He's using his psychic powers to connect you to me."_

"_Indeed." Articuno replied, lowering his head. "This is my only chance to talk to you in your dreams, so you'll have to seek me out if you have any more questions. You play a very important part in this world. What you do here will have a heavy effect on the future of this world. As you know, there is a vile team of ruffians who wish to bring about the end of the world."_

"_Team Ragnarok," I growled, clenching my fists._

"_Yes. It is up to Team Alpha and Omega to save the world." Articuno explained._

"_Team Omega too? What can they do? They-" I began._

"_Just started? Yes, I know. But the Pokemon that leads them plays just as important a role in the fate of the world as you do. Her choice and yours will change the outcome of the events to follow. From the time you two meet, your paths will be irreversibly intertwined," the legendary Pokemon told me before turning away. "That is all I can tell you."_

"_Wait! What do you mean irreversibly intertwined! Articuno!" I shouted. But it was too late. He was gone, and the dream was fading..._

"Kahrik. Kahrik, wake up!" I woke to Victor shaking my shoulder. "Come on. The storm let up enough to continue. It's still snowing, but it's not a blizzard anymore. Let's go complete our mission," he urged as I got to my feet.

I was still a little groggy, but I nodded. "Right." I followed him in a zombie-like state out of the cave and toward Rime Forest. Articuno's words still rang in my ears. _From the time you two meet, your paths will be irreversibly intertwined. Her choice and yours will change the outcome of the events to follow_.

At the time, I didn't know how right he was. I just knew I couldn't let him or Team Omega down. The world depended on me, and whoever Team Omega was, I had to help them. When I took up my badge as an explorer, I promised I would help any and all Pokemon in need, no matter their size, color, or creed.

And I plan to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

**End Chapter 1**

AN: This literally took me all of an hour to type up. There was a surge of author brilliance and I just couldn't stop typing. I only took a break to have a snack, then back to work I went.

I already have the next chapter formulated, but I'm gonna make you wait a while to read it. I'm mean that way.

Also, if you so desire, I can include some of your own Pokemon in the story. If you want one of your Pokemon Mystery Dungeon OC's included in these shenanigans, please submit them in the following fashion in your review:

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

Here's Kahrik's profile as an example.

**Name:** Kahrik

**Gender:** male

**Species:** Charmander

**Level:** 25

**Personality:** Kahrik is a withdrawn, serious Pokemon, which can be fully blamed on what he went through as a child. He doesn't open up often, and rarely smiles.

**Vendetta: **Fully bent on revenge against Team Ragnarok for what they did to him and his friends Victor and Spirit.

**Appearance:** Unlike any other Charmander (as Shiny Charmander are yellow), he is a charcoal black Charmander with a snow-white underbelly. He also has a tattoo on his right shoulder of a Murkrow's skull with a strange crest carved into the cheek, a constant reminder of his past.

**History: **As a young Charmander, he witnessed his village burning to the ground, as well as the torture and murder of his parents, a female Charizard and a male Feraligatr, by Team Ragnarok. The team then kidnapped him, and tried to poison his mind with darkness. They forced him to battle and tried to make him kill other Pokemon, but he resisted, resulting in the tattooed brand on his right shoulder. That night, he and two other Pokemon, Victor the Trapinch and Spirit the Dratini, escaped Team Ragnarok's hideout and found their way to Clefable's Guild. There, they trained, graduated, and started Team Alpha.

**Moves:** Flamethrower, Slash, Rock Slide, Swords Dance

**Alignment:** Team Leader

**Team:** Alpha


	2. Kyuri's Mission

Here we are, chapter 2. If I remember correctly, in the last chapter, we were introduced to Team Alpha and the legendary Pokemon Articuno, who spoke to Kahrik of a destiny in which both he and Team Omega were involved. So, who is Team Omega? What are they doing in the Rime Forest? Can Kahrik and his team get to them before they freeze to death? Well, that last question will be answered in chapter 3, but the rest of them will be answered in this chapter!

Also, thanks to Magic Jac, Joker'sTwinBro-FlameOfRecca's, PhantoMNiGHT321, and Honeywhisker for Team BlackBelt, Szac, Team Aces, and Honey, respectively!

I own the plot, Team Alpha, Team Omega, Team Ragnarok, and Team Rapture. All other OC's belong to their respective owners.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 2: Kyuri's Mission**

**Kyuri's POV**

I don't know how long we'd been trapped in Rime Forest. After a long battle against an Abomasnow and his cronies, there was a bright flash of light, and we were in this grotto in the deepest confines of the forest. We were prisoners here, guarded by two wordless Sneasel.

My name is Kyuri. I am a Cubone, and I lead Team Omega. We are outcasts, passed off as weak by the society we live in. But we aren't weak. We've fought our way to Gold rank, and that's quite the accomplishment. They still don't accept us. It isn't fair, the way they treat us. Like we're lower than Gengar. And you're hard-pressed to find a _good_ Gengar.

I should tell you who we are. My partners are Soul, an Ekans, and Victoria, a Turtwig. We met a long time before we made our own exploration team, when we were still victims. We never knew our parents. We were taken from our nests as eggs by a team of Pokemon called Team Rapture. They consist of Parousia, a Mismagius, Harpazo, a Gengar (surprise, surprise), and Epiphaneia, a Sableye. They are led by a Pokemon known only as Seraph, a Froslass.

As soon as we hatched, they put us through rigorous training, trying to force us into evolution so they could mind-trap us into their schemes, no doubt. We escaped, but not before Harpazo carved the Froslass's symbol into the back of my black metal skull helmet. The symbol was the skull of a Snorunt with End's pawprint on the forehead. We ran away, joined Wigglytuff's Guild, and became an exploration team. Then, we came here and got our missions from Clefable.

Victoria crawled over to me and laid her head on my lap. "What are we going to do, Kyuri? We can't escape with those Sneasel always here. None of us have a move to beat them with, and the only one not weak to Ice here is Soul. She can't beat them alone."

I nodded quietly. "I sent a distress call to Team Alpha. They can help us."

"You mean that team led by the black Charmander?" Soul hissed, taking notice of our conversation. She slithered over and curled up on my other side. "I heard the Dratini on their team can't even talk right."

"They won't have to talk," I replied, drawing on the sandy grotto flour with my bone weapon. "Kahrik's Flamethrower is the stuff of legend. Spirit has a Dragon Rage like no other. And Victor's Crunch has been known to take out even Machamp."

"Machamp! But Dark attacks don't effect Fighting Pokemon that well." Victoria's eyes widened. "He must be really tough!"

"All three of them are tough. They're Master Rank. With the storm those Sneasel have been talking about, I figured they'd be the only ones brave or mad enough to fight it to save us," I explained, laying my bone across my lap. "They'll make it. I know they will."

Victoria lowered her eyes. "Kyuri, I'm so hungry. We haven't eaten anything in three days."

For a moment, I was silent. "I know, Victoria. I'm hungry too. If we go to sleep, we can ignore the hunger pains."

"I hope you're right. And I hope we wake up again," Soul whispered, laying her head across her violet coils. With that, the three of us drifted off to sleep.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_My eyes opened gradually. I was in a dark room made of stone with a Houndoom in front of me. He snarled in anger and charged at me. Acting fully on instinct, I jumped into the air and slammed him on the forehead with a Bone Club. He fell in a crumpled heap, but got up fairly quickly. Then, he Crunched my arm. Blood poured out of the wound as I tore my arm free and hit him with another Bone Club. This time, he didn't get up. Thinking quickly, I ran to my left and out the door._

_Harpazo was waiting for me. "Foolish girl!" he shouted with a mad cackle. "You thought you could escape us so easily? You and your friends will never get away!" He grabbed me and dragged me down the hall and outside to the Bleak Chasm. Then, he held me by my ankles over the edge. "Join them in oblivion!" he snarled, releasing me. "May the rocks crush your skull!"_

_I was falling for ages. Then, there was a flash of bright light, and I landed softly on a pile of straw. I got to my feet as fast as I could and looked around. Where was I?_

_A soft, warm voice floated over from across the room. "Are you alright, child?"_

_It didn't take long for me to get across the expanse of space between me and the voice. When I got there, I saw a giant, yellow bird, with red flames on her wings, comb, and long tail. She had an orange beak, middle-length, and orange feet with golden claws. "Moltres..." I whispered._

"_Yes, young one. I am the Legendary Fiery Bird, Moltres," she replied in the same sweet voice. It was almost motherly. She tucked her wings in and nuzzled me gently with her beak. "I'm glad you're alright."_

"_Why are you in my dream? I've never seen you before," I replied, dropping my bone weapon._

"_I am here to warn you. Team Alpha is closer than you and your friends think. They draw closer with every passing hour. They are your destiny," she told me._

"_Our destiny?"_

"_No. **Your** destiny." Moltres answered, stepping back. "Your path and Kahrik's are meant to meet and twist together. From the time you see each other, you will be fated to be together. Your choice and his carve the path for the future."_

"_How do you know all this?"_

"_I have my ways. And so does Lugia. He is how I can talk with you. If not for his psychic powers, you would not see me."_

"_Lugia? How does he fit into this?"_

"_I cannot tell you that. You have to figure all of this out with Kahrik. This is my only chance to talk to you. After this, you'll have to seek me out alongside Kahrik. Now wake, child, and prepare for the events to come."_

"_Moltres, wait! I have one more question!" But the bird was already gone, and I was starting to wake up._

_Why me? …_

_^..^ ^..^ ^..^_

Soul woke me with a soft nudge. "Wake up, Kyuri. I have a feeling we're going to get out of here soon. I can here pandemonium upstairs.

So Team Alpha was here. We would soon be free, and we could continue with our vendetta. Team Rapture had to be brought to justice. My friends and I were all close to the next level, and we would soon be Marowak, Arbok, and Grotle.

Our mission would be fulfilled, sooner than I thought.

**End Chapter 2**

Why must Kyuri and Kahrik go on this mission together? Why can't they do it alone? Why a black Charmander and a white Cubone? What does Lugia have to do with this? Just what are Team Ragnarok's and Team Rapture's motives, and how do they tie together? What's all this about the fate of the world from Articuno and Moltres? These questions and more will be answered in the chapters to come. But first, Team Omega has to be saved from the grotto!

But what was Team Omega doing in Rime Forest anyway?

**Coming soon! Chapter 3: Salvation**

I still need your OC's! This is all in preparation for the team's return to Paragon Village, the home of Clefable's Guild.

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

This time I'll give you Kyuri's for an example!

**Name:** Kyuri

**Gender:** female

**Species:** Cubone

**Level:** 25

**Personality:** Kyuri is sweet, despite her history. However, she isn't afraid to show off her powers, and will whole-heartedly attack someone if they push her over the edge. She hates shopping, and loves exploring.

**Goal:** Bring Team Rapture to justice for their crimes

**Appearance:** Kyuri is a snow white Cubone with a cream-colored belly and a black metal skull helmet. In the back of the helmet is carved End's symbol.

**History:** Never knew her parents. Captured by Team Rapture and tortured, forced to battle other Pokemon. Escaped with friends Soul and Victoria, later joining Wigglytuff's Guild and becoming an exploration team.

**Moves:** Bone Club, Aerial Ace, Endure, Captivate

**Alignment:** Team Leader

**Team:** Omega


	3. Salvation

So, in the last chapter, you were introduced to Team Omega, including Kyuri the Cubone, Soul the Ekans, and Victoria the Turtwig. Team Alpha is on their way to save them, and has already arrived at the hideout. But what of those Abomasnow and Snover, and why did they capture Team Omega?

I own nothing but the storyline and 50% of the OC's. If I owned Pokemon, this would be a _real_ game.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 3: Salvation**

**Kahrik's POV**

I've never been happier to be a Charmander. Just the sight of me made Abomasnow and his team of Snover buckle, fall to their knees and bawl, begging me not to destroy them. I couldn't help but laugh. But, instead of taking my opportunity to be a total dick, I went full-on rescuer mode.

"Just tell me where Team Omega is, and I'll let you leave," I barked in the most intimidating voice I had.

Even Victor shivered. "S-Sure! We'll tell you anything you want! Just don't hurt us!" The Abomasnow pleaded.

"Pathetic. You're big and tough against Pokemon weaker than you, but when it comes to a Pokemon you can't type-trump by any measure of the imagination, you may as well be a Goldeen in a desert." I snarled with contempt, crossing my arms and glaring at the groveling Pokemon. "Now, tell us where you took Team Omega!"

"The grotto! They're in the grotto!" Abomasnow whimpered. The Snover pointed behind him to a small opening between the trees.

It was just big enough for my team to squeeze our way through, but I wasn't sure I trusted the Grass/Ice Pokemon not to seal it up after we went through. "Is there another entrance, or an exit?"

"Not that we know of! Please, just let us go! Don't kill us!" The female Snover cried out, covering her face.

That set me off. How dare these outlaws accuse us of being murderers. I was so mad, I lifted my head and released the biggest Flamethrower I could muster. It widened out of my mouth and shot into the air, turning the snow into boiling rain. "You call _us_ murderers? You are hardly fit to stand in our presence, you filth! Get out of my sight before I get _really_ mad!" They scurried away like the cowards they were. Naturally.

We slipped through the opening and into the Frozen Grotto. The place was crawling with Ice-type Pokemon, so it wasn't a big deal. With me in the lead, we easily carved our way through floor after floor in search of Team Omega. Things didn't get interesting until we got to the halfway point, after resting near a Kangaskhan Rock. That's when we met the ones responsible for Team Omega's capture.

I found myself face to face with a trio of Ice Pokemon, two Beartic flanking a Froslass with black crystals instead of the traditional blue. "You must be Team Alpha," she hissed coolly. The sound of her voice sent a chill down my spine, and for once I found I couldn't speak. "I was warned of your arrival, by my associates. Allow me to introduce myself. Call me Seraph. These are Grunt and Growl, my twin bodyguards. I lead Team Rapture."

Surprisingly, Spirit saved my hide. "B-B-Back off! Let T-T-T-Team Omega go!"

Seraph covered her mouth and chuckled. "So intimidating, for a dragon. Tell me, young Dratini, do you remember your parents?"

Spirit's eyes widened and he cringed. "D-Don't talk about m-m-m-m-my p-parents."

"Oh, yes," she pressed, "your parents. The parents who always told you how useless you are, how weak you are, how you'll never be strong enough to be accepted to any team."

I stepped in front of my partner. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" I roared, balling a fist and holding my arm out to guard Spirit. "You leave him alone!"

The Froslass grinned. "And you, the black Charmander. Your mother, still a Charmeleon when she laid your egg. Your father, who was he? Don't you remember?"

My eyes lowered. I never knew who my father was. Mother always claimed he ran away when he found out she was pregnant. She told me he was a powerful Dragon Pokemon, but she never told me what _kind_ of Pokemon he was. "It doesn't matter," I growled, closing my eyes. "Illegitimate or no, I'm still the best Charmander in the region, and you're going to wish you hadn't challenged me."

"Oh? What are you going to do, Growl me to death?"

I could feel a mysterious power in my chest as I rose my head and glared at her. My vision faded into solid white, and I felt myself getting bigger. The fire inside me seemed to gain power, and begged to ignite the next Flamethrower. After a moment, my vision returned to normal, but clearer. I looked down and saw a light creamy belly in place of the white one I used to have. I looked at my hands. Three golden claws stretched out instead of fingers. My scales were the same jet-black color, but they had a midnight blue tint to them where the light hit them.

In my anger, my power boosted enough to where I evolved into Charmeleon. Triumphantly, I threw back my head and shot out a Flamethrower. To my surprise, rather than the red it used to be, it was blue, like the flames of a shiny Ponyta. When I lowered my head, I snorted, and two short jets of fire spat out of my nostrils.

The Beartic looked frightened, but Seraph yawned. "Impressive. You can evolve, just like any other Pokemon. Now, be a good little lizard and lock yourself in one of those cages."

"Over my dead body," I snarled in a deeper, darker voice than normal. "Let Team Omega free."

"I don't think so. Looks like we'll have to _make_ you get into the cages!" Seraph howled, raising her arms and pointing toward us.

Instantly, the Beartic charged forward, both powering up an Ice Punch. I simply smirked, took a deep breath, and fired a single Flamethrower between the two of them, right to Seraph's gut. It connected and slammed her into the wall with enough force to make blood shoot out of her mouth. By then, the Beartic were almost right in front of me, both ready to slam their frozen fists into my gut.

To my surprise, a Vibrava burst out of the ground, surging forward and tackling the two in the gut. So Victor evolved as well. The twin bears fell back and skid across the ground. Victor smirked and turned to me. "Funny thing: after you evolve, your stomach stops hurting, at least for a while."

I grinned and nodded. "Now, are you going to battle for real, or are we going to have to _really_ thrash you?"

That's when things got serious. Seraph floated up and powered up a Shadow Ball between her hands. The twin Beartic nodded at each other, then powered up two more Ice Punches. I narrowed my eyes and took a deep breath, meditating slightly before getting ready for my secret weapon. This was how our team got to Master Rank at such low levels. We each perfected moves that were the trademark of our species. Victor's Crunch rivaled the jaw-snapping power of a Feraligatr. Spirit had a Dragon Rush that could shatter the exterior of a Steelix. Then, there was me. Flamethrower couldn't do much by itself. I ran out of breath too fast to maintain it much longer than two minutes. But, I had a strange ability. If I concentrated, I could fire two Flamethrowers, not from my mouth, but from my hands, like a Magmortar. I didn't know if it would still work, thanks to evolving, but it was worth a shot. If I could pull this off, I could defeat both Beartic at the same time.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I exhaled, my hands lit ablaze. I angled my claws up to cage and direct the flame, then lowered my head. Now that my eyebrows jutted out a bit more than my previous form, I could aim more sharply. Using the edge of the brows as a scope, I took aim. Thrusting my hands forward, I unleashed my signature move.

The two Flamethrowers twisted through the air and slammed into the bears, sending them flying back and into the walls of the stone room. When they fell to the ground and didn't move, I drew the conclusion that they were down for the count and returned my attention to Seraph.

Victor was in big trouble. Seraph had him pinned to the wall, frozen solid by her Ice Beam. If he was still conscious, it was a miracle. Now that he was a Vibrava, he was both Dragon and Ground type. Not good. Where was Spirit?

That was when I saw his predicament. He was hit by the Shadow Ball mid-evolution. He was trapped half-way through the transformation, unable to revert to Dratini or continue to Dragonair, too far along to go back and not far enough to get over the hump. He wouldn't be able to do anything until after the battle. It was down to me and Seraph.

"Let's end this," I snarled in the most threatening voice I could muster.

She turned away from Victor to see the look on my face. "Oh. Aren't you cute when you're mad. If you were an Ice Pokemon, I'd want you as a partner, or maybe even a mate."

My stomach flipped when I heard the last word. _Mate_. "I wouldn't mate with you if the world depended on it," I growled, balling up my fists. "Now taste the flames, you cur!" With that, I shot another pillar of flames at her from my mouth.

The blue flames came out too fast for her to counter. They licked at her serene form, burning away at her soft flesh and throwing her back against the wall. Then, while she was down, I used a smaller Flamethrower to thaw out Victor. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap and groaned. "End it..." he moaned, curling into a ball.

I nudged him quietly. "Don't worry Victor. She's almost finished. Just one-" I realized the error of my actions a little too late. The Shadow Ball slammed into my ribs, and I felt three of them give way, digging into my innards. I snarled and flew across the room, hitting my other side on the stone wall. That didn't feel good.

Victor could barely breathe, let alone move. Spirit was down and out until I could tend to him. Now, I had three broken ribs and two more bruised. The Beartic were down, but I didn't know if I could get enough air in to use another Flamethrower without piercing my lungs on my own bones.

Seraph floated over to me with a grin. "I am going to kill you, Kahrik." How did she know my name? "The prophecy will never be fulfilled." Prophecy? "Your death will end the bloodline of The Great Kehrimohr." Kehrimohr? "With it's end, Team Rapture and Ragnarok will unite, and destroy this world to create our own!"

At the word Ragnarok, I snapped. I didn't care if this killed me. I couldn't let my sworn enemies win. Not without a fight. I forced myself to my feet. No way was this Ice Pokemon going to take me down.

I took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in my lungs and trying to clear my head by thinking of what I knew. _My name is Kahrik._ My lungs were full, and my bones were scraping the outside of them. _I am a level 30 Charmeleon._ I opened my mouth as wide as I could. _My mother is dead, and I don't know who my father is._ The flame formed in the back of my throat. _I swore on my life that I would protect the innocent, defend the weak, and uphold the creed._ I exhaled a burst of oxygen, igniting the Flamethrower and attacking Seraph one last time before I lost consciousness. _No matter the cost._

I don't know what happened after that. I blacked out soon after the attack.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_I was floating in a dark gray room, with thunderclouds for a ceiling. My eyes opened gradually, and I jerked upright, feeling my feet touch the ground. A small bolt of lightning shot from the ceiling to the floor in front of me, and I focused long enough to see a great, golden bird with orange feet and a black back, facing the opposite direction._

"_First Articuno, now Zapdos?" I asked myself, walking forward until I was only a yard away from him._

"_Yes, now Zapdos," he snipped in response, turning his head. "And I won't be the last to visit you in your dreams. Or, in this case, your unconsciousness."_

_I crossed my arms. "So what are you going to tell me? Articuno spoke of destiny."_

_The bird spun around and spread his wings. "Do not disrespect me! I am the Legendary Thunder Bird Zapdos!" I let my arms fall down and stood at attention. He met my reaction with laughter. "Loosen up, kiddo. I'm only joking." He tucked his wings back in and smiled. "I'm here to help you. Lugia sensed that you needed guidance. What troubles you?" he asked._

_I got the loving uncle vibe from him. I decided I should start from the top. "What's all this stuff about a prophecy?"_

_Zapdos frowned. "It is foretold that two Pokemon and their friends, lords of fire and earth, would band together to defeat an ancient evil. These Pokemon would not be like most of their species, nor would they be shiny. They would be unusually colored, and would possess abilities unknown to any Pokemon of their species, courtesy of their sires. Er, fathers, I mean." His gaze drifted off to the ceiling. "Together, their choice would either make, or break, the balance in this world."_

"_Choice? What choice?" I asked. Had I already made the choice?_

"_Don't worry, boy. You won't have to make the choice for some time now. I can answer only one other question."_

"_Who is Kehrimohr?" I inquired, looking at him earnestly. "I need to know."_

_The thunder bird was silent for a moment. "Kehrimohr is an ancient Dragon of immeasurable wisdom and skill. He was a lone explorer, because he was too scared of his own power. Kehrimohr was so strong that sometimes, he couldn't control himself. Over the years, he gained better control of himself, but still battled solo. He was the best, and the first explorer to reach Master Rank."_

_I stomped my foot. "But **who** is he? What kind of Pokemon is Kehrimohr? What does he have to do with me?"_

_Zapdos lowered his head and backed away. "Kahrik... Kehrimohr... Kehrimohr is-"_

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

I was awakened abruptly by a thick Dragonair's tail slamming into my gut. "Wake up, sleepy-head!" Spirit was hovering over me, the bright blue orb on his throat glowing slightly. "You've been out for an hour!"

Groaning, I rolled over on my belly, hugging my upper abdomen. "My ribs..."

"I did my best," Victor said, nudging me with his head. "When I evolved, I learned Heal Pulse. Weird, huh? Normally, Vibrava can't learn Heal Pulse. I think I'll keep it, though. It fixed your broken ribs. Now all that's left is bruises."

I rocked back onto my haunches and got up, looking around. "We won?"

"That last Flamethrower annihilated that Froslass. She and the Beartic ran away after that. As soon as Victor could stand, he ran over to me and used Heal Pulse to break me out of my frozen state. Then, I finished evolving," Spirit replied with a smile.

"Wait, you lost your stutter!" I gasped, staring at the Dragonair.

"Cool, huh? I can totally go after chicks now!" Spirit laughed, curling around me gently. "Glad to have you back, man." He slithered off and pointed to an opening in the rock wall. "That opened after Seraph and the Beartic left. I bet that's where they're keeping Team Omega!"

In short, we walked over, each of us in our second forms, and rescued Team Omega. Something weird happened, though. When I laid eyes on Kyuri, something stirred inside me, something I'd never felt before. I don't know what it meant. I guess it has something to do with the prophecy Zapdos told me about, but we succeeded in saving them, and now all we had to do was report back to Clefable with the rescued team and claim our reward.

**Mission Clear!**

**End Chapter 3**

Team Omega was successfully retrieved by Team Alpha. Now, both teams are headed back to Paragon Village, home of Clefable's Guild. They won't immediately enter town-I'll save that for Chapter 5-but you will be meeting the apprentices and Clefable in Chapter 4!

But, this chapter solved some mysteries, as well as uncovering more mysteries. Who is Kehrimohr? What does he have to do with Kahrik? What's so special about Victor learning Heal Pulse? What caused all of Team Alpha to evolve like that? These questions and more will be answered later.

I still need some OC's! However, the ones submitted for this chapter will have to make an appearance later in the game, so to speak. I NEED SOME VILLAINS!

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

**Name:** Seraph

**Gender:** female

**Species:** Froslass

**Level:** 45

**Personality:** Seraph is bent on hurting other Pokemon, and the best way she sees fit is to entirely destroy the world and build it anew. She enjoys taunting other Pokemon, and especially digging into their pasts and ripping open old wounds. At the moment, any ulterior motives are unknown.

**Goal:** Destroy the world and start her own.

**Appearance:** Unlike most Froslass, Seraph's crystals are black, instead of cool blue.

**History:** Once a criminal, always a criminal. Seraph started life out as a Snorunt and, to begin her career in crime, she started by killing her parents, a female Glalie and a Bronzong. Then, she found three companions, fellow ghosts, Parousia the Misdreavus, Harpazo the Gastly, and Epiphaneia the Sableye. Together, they made a blood-pact and formed Team Rapture.

**Moves:** Shadow Ball, Taunt, Ice Beam, Hex

**Alignment:** Team Leader

**Team:** Rapture


	4. Clefable's Guild

In the last chapter, Team Alpha's members rescued the captive Team Omega, and have transported them back to Paragon Village (hooray for skipping mindless filler!). In the following chapter, we will meet the members of Clefable's Guild, and more will be revealed to you lovely people who are reading this!

I extend a thanks to Honeywhisker for her Vienna and both Honeywhisker and PhantoMNiGHT321 for reminding me of the following.

Yes, all villain Pokemon fall under the classification of 'Outlaw' unless they are an admin for the end-of-the-world factions. As for more villain Pokemon, I need them to build up the grand finale. As the story progresses, Team Ragnarok and Rapture will become more volatile, but the two—as well as two more teams to be introduced in later chapters (PhantoMNiGHT321, don't tell anybody who they are)—answer to a higher Pokemon. Who is that Pokemon? I'm not going to tell you now! Spoilers, people!

I own the plot, Team Alpha, Team Omega, and most of the apprentices at Clefable's Guild, as well as Clefable and Unfezant. The characters, not the actual Pokemon. Szac and Honey belong to Joker'sTwinBro-FlameOfRecca's and Honeywhisker, respectively.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 4: Clefable's Guild**

**Kahrik's POV**

It was longer than I thought it had been between the time we left and the time we got back. We must've been stuck in that blizzard for quite a while, because when we got back the other Pokemon told us we were gone a week. It felt like three days, though. I led the way back to Clefable's Guild, head held high, brandishing my bruises like medals of honor. The samaritans near the guild stood in awe and amazement as we strode across the bridge to the entrance of the guild.

Clefable was much more eccentric than the famous Wigglytuff. Rather than building his guild in a cliff, he got the help of several Water and Ground Pokemon and built the guild underwater. This made some Pokemon nervous, but I didn't care. I had the heart of a lion. Figuratively speaking, of course.

When we reached the entrance, I lowered my head to speak into the communication pipe made from bamboo. "Team Alpha leader Kahrik, species Charmeleon, code Alpha Lambda Pi Eta Alpha, requesting permission to enter with Team code Omicron Mu Epsilon Gamma Alpha."

After a moment of waiting, there was an answer. A suave, crisp voice echoed in the pipe from the other side. "Permission granted. Team Alpha and Team Omega may enter the guild now." The door to the guild opened to reveal a spiraling staircase leading down to the ocean floor.

I turned to the five Pokemon behind me, then stepped to the side. "Ladies first."

Kyuri was the first to step forward. She nodded, then began her descent, followed by Soul (a little clumsily) and Victoria. As soon as they were fifteen steps down, I looked at my team. "Kind of awkward, aren't they?" Victor commented, shaking his head.

"Victor, be nice. Now you go, then Spirit. I'll shut the door." They inclined their heads, then scurried in. I stepped through the doorway, then pulled a lever on the wall. The door slammed shut, nearly smacking me in the face. After that, I followed the others downstairs.

Clefable had taste, and class. The guild was decorated with shells, kelp, and sand to make it feel like an underwater forest, and there was a fire on all three floors of the guild. The stairs continued down to reach the second and third floors, but we got off on the first floor to turn in our mission. There, Audrey Audino stood waiting for us, to heal any serious wounds we had.

As soon as she saw me, she panicked. "Oh, Kahrik, can you never return without a scratch? Goodness, boy, you play rough," she complained, rubbing a cream of her special recipe on the bruised areas. Once applied, she wrapped it up with strips of cloth to keep it from rubbing away. "I might as well give you the recipe for my special cream, the way you get banged up. I guarantee it to work on everything, big or small, from bruises to cuts to broken bones, it makes the pain go away. Mix it in with water and you've got an energy drink that'll boost your confidence and your healing," she advertised her product every time we came back.

"Audrey, you worry too much about me. I'm a big boy. I can care for myself," I replied. I must've used this argument a thousand times before, but she never listened. It must be some sort of motherly instinct for her. She worried about everyone in the guild, but she paid particular attention to me.

Finally, she noticed Team Omega. "Kyuri! Soul! And Victoria too! I'm so relieved! Team Alpha brought you back safe and sound!" She waddled over to the female Cubone and hugged her, kissing her forehead. "You aren't hurt are you?"

Kyuri ignored her quite nicely. "That reminds me!" She wriggled out of Audrey's grasp and ran over to me, bowing her head. "Thank you for rescuing us," she said, pulling a Gold Ribbon from her bag, as well as a small disk. "Your reward."

I nodded calmly, then took both items and examined the disk. It was a TM01. Hone Claws. The move increased your attack, but I already knew Swords Dance. I could save this for later, though. Maybe it would prove useful for Spirit. "Thank you," I replied, lowering my own head in response. "Any time you need help, give me a call." Why in the hell did I say that? I wanted to reach out, grab my words, and shove them back down my throat, but it was too late. Open mouth, insert foot.

"I'll remember that," she replied with a smile.

Spirit saved me from coming up with a clever response. "Hey, we need to report to the Guildmaster."

Clefable! Oh, powerful Clefable, known for his incredible Metronome. Somehow, instead of choosing random moves, he could concentrate on moves he'd seen before, and his Metronome would allow him to use that move. He was the ultimate copy cat. And when teams didn't report immediately after long, hard missions, he got mad.

I clapped my hands to my head. "Oh no. Clefable!" With that, I left Team Omega on the first floor, and my team followed me down the staircase to the second floor.

It was abnormally quiet. I guessed the apprentices were off doing missions, so we knocked on the Guildmaster's door. "Who is it?"

Unfezant. I was having a great day until I heard his voice. It was ridiculously snide, and he had a French account. French! He was a prick, just because he was shiny. "Who do you think, feather-face?" I snarled, curling my hands into fists. "Or did you ignore Sentinel when he reported Team Alpha's return?" Sentinel was our Watchog, the one who answered all the calls down the pipe. Instead of having two Pokemon keep an eye on the grate like at Wigglytuff's Guild, Clefable came up with the pipe system. One Pokemon could speak at the top of the pipe. The sound waves would echo down the pipe and come out clearly on every floor, so every Pokemon could hear the conversation. Sentinel, or sometimes his son Espy, would listen on the third floor, verify the code, and then tell the visitor if their entry was granted or not. Then, it was Mole the Drillbur's job to open the door.

His response echoed loudly all across the floor. "Feather-face? FEATHER-FACE!"

"Do not disrespect Team Alpha, Unfezant. They bring in a large amount of money."

"But he just-"

"I DON'T CARE!"

Clefable was defending us, as usual. One of the benefits of being a good team trained by Clefable himself was he was often on your side. Unfezant may be his second-in-command, but he was nowhere near Clefable's skill level. The normal Pokemon commanded respect, even if many Pokemon felt Clefable were girly.

After some more arguing, the violet-crested bird opened the door. "The Guildmaster wishes to see you," he growled, beak almost clamped shut.

"Polly want a cracker?" I jeered, pushing him aside and strutting in before kneeling in front of Clefable. "Guildmaster Clefable, we have returned from the Southern Wastes. The rumors of an enormous blizzard overhead were true, though we found shelter before anything terribly serious happened. Also, we encountered a strange Pokemon." I looked up gravely. "Seraph, a Froslass."

The Guildmaster took a step back, one hand over his mouth. "Oh dear," he muttered, shaking his head. "They're back, Unfezant! Shut the door," he hissed. The bird Pokemon glared, then obeyed.

I stared at my Guildmaster. "They, sir?"

He remained quiet for a while, then closed his eyes, sitting down. "At ease, Kahrik. In order to explain this to you, I have to tell you a long story."

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_It was winter time, five years after the Dialga Incident that nearly paralyzed the planet. Clefable was still a Clefairy back then, and Unfezant was still a young Pidove. They were exploring Crystal Cave together, in the hopes that they too could see Azelf, the Being of Willpower. Pidove was terribly afraid, and could hardly muster the courage to attack a fellow Pokemon. They thought that maybe, just maybe, Azelf could offer him the guidance he needed to allow himself to fight._

_However, in the aftermath of the incident, strange things were happening, especially after the Darkrai Incident only six months later. Pokemon grew more violent than usual, and some Pokemon experienced Group Evolutions, where sometimes nine or ten Pokemon in the same area would be forced to evolve, no matter their level. Often, it sent them into a frenzy, and they became murderous. One incident happened to seven Pokemon: a Snorunt, a Misdreavus, a Haunter, a Murkrow, a Houndour, a Corpish, and a Nuzleaf. Now, normally, most of these Pokemon needed special items to evolve. With the Snorunt, she needed a Dawn Stone to become the Froslass she wanted to be. Misdreavus needed the Dusk Stone, and so did Murkrow. Nuzleaf needed a Leaf Stone, and Haunter needed a Link Cable. However, and this instance had never before been recorded, the Pokemon evolved without the items they needed, some even learning moves impossible for their species to learn._

_The sudden spike in their power made the Pokemon grow arrogant, and more violent then they already were. The Pokemon of synonymous types formed two teams: Rapture and Ragnarok, respectively. They vowed to fix the Group Evolution problem by destroying the world in entirety, creating their own in its stead._

_Clefairy and Pidove made their way through Crystal Cave and Crystal Crossing to find the most horrific sight. A team of four Ghost Pokemon—Froslass, Gengar, Mismagius, and Sableye—were preparing to attack Azelf._

"_Don't be difficult, Azelf. Submit, and allow us to do what we came to do," the Froslass cooed, her associates taking a step toward the small Psychic Pokemon._

"_No! You plan to steal the Time Gear! I won't let you!" Azelf cried, glaring at the team. "I swore to protect it!"_

"_Foolish Azelf, we're not here for the Time Gear. Without willpower, all Pokemon will fall to our knees, begging for mercy. Your corruption will bring us one step closer to taking this world for ourselves," the Froslass cackled, holding up a golden chain with a Snorunt's skull as a medallion. "I've Hexed this charm so you'll do my bidding when I put it on you."_

"_NO!" Clefairy cried, scurrying forward and pushing past the Ghost Pokemon to protect Azelf. "You can't! I won't let you harm Azelf!"_

_The Psychic Pokemon looked down in confusion at the small Clefairy. "A... Clefairy?" he whispered, putting a hand in front of his mouth._

_The Froslass simply grinned, and waved her hand. "Dispose of this meddler!"_

"_With pleasure!" the Gengar cackled, charging toward Clefairy with a Focus Blast charging up._

_Clefairy stood his ground and waited for the impact, closing his eyes. However, the attack did not hit. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to see Azelf's Protect surrounding his pink, furry body. "Thank you," Azelf smiled at Clefairy. Then, he brought his hands together and fired a Shadow Ball at Gengar. The ghost flew backwards and crashed into Sableye, sending both of them sprawling._

_The Froslass glared at Mismagius. "Don't just stand there, fool! Get them!"_

_Without a response, the ghost flew forward, mystic leaves floating around her. Magical Leaf. This was Clefairy's chance. He leapt into the air and, taking the hit for Azelf, used Magic Coat to return the attack at double the force. It connected easily, and the Mismagius joined her companions in unconsciousness._

_Froslass howled in fury. "I'll crush you!" She roared, powering up a Hyper Beam. As she fired it, there was a bright flash of light._

"_NO YOU WON'T!" Came an unfamiliar, brave voice. When Clefairy could see again, in the place of Pidove stood a Tranquill, taking the full blunt of the attack. "YOU WILL NEVER HARM MY FRIEND!" With that, he flew up into the air and unleashed Brave Bird, slamming into the Froslass over and over again, five times, before landing on the ground and panting. He had bruises on his head and shoulders from the impacts, and a nasty burn mark on his right side._

_The Froslass knew when she was beat. She gathered up her companions and ran off, never to be heard or seen again..._

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

"...until now," Clefable finished, shaking his head. Then, he looked at Unfezant. "Call a Guild Meeting. Tell the apprentices to gather in the Relaxation Area on the third floor. They have to know what has happened."

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

Not a long time later, all the apprentices were waiting for us; Honey the Eevee; Szac the Riolu; Snide the Krokorok; Skipper the Tirtuoga; Team Quadru, which was Missy the Lillipup and Frauline the Purrloin; Sage the Pansage, Sear the Pansear, and Pour the Panpour of Team Triplet; and Team Victory, which was a Snivy, a Tepig, and an Oshawott that had no nicknames. They sat in even rows, conversing with one another.

"What's this all about?" I heard Honey whisper to Szac. "They _never_ call a Guild meeting in the afternoon."

Szac remained silent, staring forward, his eyes locked on me. _That Charmeleon is pretty banged up,_ he thought, resting his head on his paw. _What happened?_

Finally, Sentinel, Espy, and Audrey strode in, marking the beginning of the meeting. Spirit, Victor and I stood next to Unfezant, behind Guildmaster Clefable at the front of the crowd. "Attention, everyone!" Clefable shouted, waving his arms. "We have grave news that you must know about." Then, he pointed to me. "This is Kahrik. He leads Team Alpha. He recently returned from the Southern Wastes!" More murmuring. Frauline shivered, and the mute monkey trio gave the Hear no, see no, speak no evil sign, Sage covering his ears, Sear covering his eyes, and Pour covering her mouth. "The rumors of the blizzard are true. Take it away, Kahrik."

I stepped forward, nodding my head at Clefable. Then, I turned my attention to the young Pokemon in front of me, not a one of them above level 20. "To rescue Team Omega, we of Team Alpha fought our way through the blizzard and discovered something we wish were laid to rest after we heard Clefable's story. In the ghetto in which Team Omega was trapped, we came across the leader of Team Rapture."

The room broke into distraught uproar. Mixed whispers speaking of the foretold doom by Team Rapture rose above the heads of the apprentices and drifted to my ears. "Team Rapture? Oh no, not them again!" "I heard Guildmaster Clefable speaking with Unfezant about that when I joined here." "Isn't that the team led by-"

I got tired of the interruption and let a short Flamethrower burst from my mouth, catching their attention as the blue flames licked the air above their heads. Some of them gaped in amazement, others cowered behind their companions. "Team Rapture is led by an evil Froslass known as Seraph. She's the one who gave me these," I snarled, tearing off the bandages to reveal the bruises on my ribs. "If not for Victor, I would've come back with broken ribs instead of fractures and bruises. And I'm a _Fire_ Pokemon. Seraph is an Ice/Ghost Pokemon." More terror spread across the room. "That's why, after talking with Spirit and Victor, we've decided to set up the Team Alpha base in the cave behind Paragon Waterfall, right next to the village!"

Calm spread over the room. Several of the apprentices looked relieved. Honey looked like she was about to faint from excitement. "Team Alpha, Szac! They're going to be living in Paragon Village!"

"We will too!" a voice called from the staircase. I turned and there was Team Omega, Kyuri standing bravely in front. "No way we're going to let _our_ town get ransacked by those ruffians! C'mon, girls, let's show 'em what we're made of!" Soul, Victoria, and Kyuri strode over, heads held hi, and stood by my team. "Kahrik, we're just as good as your team! Just give us the chance!"

As good as _my_ team? We just fought our way through a blizzard to rescue _them_ and she has the gaul to compare her team to my own, when in the same situation we would've fought our own way out? Still, turning down their help would make us look arrogant, not to mention rude.

After a while, I came up with a good response that would agitate her without making me look like an incredible asshole. "Just don't get in our way," I growled, throwing my head back and giving a triumphant roar. "Team Alpha is on the case, putting outlaws in their rightful place!" I snarled, putting my hand on top of my head and dragging my claws down my forehead before stopping my hand in front of my face, glaring like a caged animal. Spirit slithered over and coiled around me, his head over my own, and Victor flew up and landed on his head before we roared in unison, our signature pose.

That got the apprentices going. They all stood up and cheered, clapping their hands, waving their tails, however they could get our attention. All, that is, except Szac, who remained seated, watching us through unsure eyes.

Finally, after everyone else sat down, he stood up, pointing at me. "I was told Team Alpha was led by a Charmander. I was also told you could only evolve at the Luminous Cavern, _north_ of Paragon Town. You guys went to the Southern Wastes." It didn't take me long to figure out what he was getting at. "How the hell did you all evolve?"

**End Chapter 4**

Oh boy, that was a long chapter for me.

The apprentices have been informed of the arrival of Team Alpha and the creation of their base near Paragon Town. But Szac's question has merit. How indeed did Team Alpha's evolutions occur, and so far from Luminous Cavern? If you're paying attention, you'll know without me telling you in Chapter 5.

I'm still accepting OC's for the story. I'd like Outlaws at this point, and possible recruits for the evil teams. Again, submit them in your reviews!

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

**Name:** Clefable

**Gender:** male

**Species:** Clefable

**Level:** 75

**Personality:** Clefable is a serious, skilled Pokemon with an affinity for detecting promising recruits for his guild. He's an old rival of Wigglytuff's, and will do anything to one-up the other Pokemon.

**Goal:** Raise the next generation of exploration teams to rival Wigglytuff's.

**Appearance:** normal Clefable.

**History:** As a Cleffa, he once fought alongside Wigglytuff while he was still Igglybuff. However, after an argument they had on how to train apprentices, he split away from Wigglytuff and created his own guild with his friends Unfezant and Sentinel, a Watchog.

**Moves:** Metronome, Magic Coat, Calm Mind, Psychic

**Alignment:** Guildmaster


	5. Paragon Village

In the last chapter, we were introduced to Clefable's underwater guild, and we found out that Clefable knows Team Rapture. We left off, I believe, where Szac asked: _How in the hell did you guys evolve? _And I left with the phrase 'If you're paying attention, you know the answer.'

I'd like to thank Jac, Joker, PhantoM, Honey, and Diablo125 for their contributions. Team BlackBelt, Team Aces, and Vindico will be making their appearances in this chapter. And for later, I thank PhantoM and Honey for their villains, who will begin forming more pieces to the puzzle that is this story.

Also, I have a poll on my profile. What should Kahrik's Charizard form be? I have four options up, one vote only.

You know the drill. I own next to nothing.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 5: Paragon Village**

**Kahrik's POV**

I didn't have an answer. _How the hell did you guys evolve?_ Szac got in trouble with the Guildmaster for his language, and we took our opportunity to leave. Once we were out, Spirit tried to console me.

"It's not our fault. It just happened. We know we're not liars," he said, patting my shoulder with his tail.

"We know, but Szac practically accused of us shirking work. You know, that's a punishable crime in Wigglytuff's Guild, and it's worse here," I grumbled in response. "Rule number 1: Don't shirk work!" I waved my hands for emphasis.

Victor joined in. "What about Rule number 3: Smiles go for miles?" He flew in front of me. "Turn that frown upside down! You never smile!"

I batted him away. "Wouldn't want to break my record now, would I?" I scored a laugh out of both of them. They often ended up laughing when I made comments like that. It's not like it hurt my feelings, but it did make me a little mad. We continued on until we reached Paragon Village.

A paragon is a perfect diamond of 100 carats or more. The town was a gem in itself. It had this natural quality, a quality you could only find in a small town, that cheered you up from the outside in. The streets were just smooth rocks arranged so they wouldn't hurt your feet, and every block or so had a crystal hanging from a tree that shone when the sun went down. As usual, the place was bustling with excitement, with Pokemon from the surrounding area converging there to do their shopping. It was big enough to hold scores upon scores of Pokemon, but small enough to feel like home.

I loved the place.

Our first stop was the bank, to deposit the Poke we gathered on our quest for Team Omega. Herdier's Hoard. The dog-like Pokemon sat faithfully, waiting for anyone to walk up and talk to him. When he saw us, he got excited, even though he had a customer in front of him.

"Team Alpha!" he woofed, emphasizing the first A with a casual bark. "I was wondering when you guys would come back! I missed you!"

"Hello, Herdier," I replied, looking at his customer. It was a Lairon, but his armor was darker than normal. "Who's this?"

The Lairon looked at me through half-lidded eyes, almost uninterested in my presence. "Vindico," he replied stiffly before finishing his business and walking away.

I stood in silence, then looked at the dog. "What's with him?"

"Vindico? He's always like that. Something on his mind, I guess." Herdier got to his feet, small tail wagging. "So, did you bring me anything?"

I smirked and removed 5739 Poke from our bag. "Just more money for you to keep track of," I replied.

"Of course! I'll guard it adamantly!"

On that note, we left for the next stop: Dugtrio's Item Shop. The Ground Pokemon built most of his store underground, for the sake of his items not being stolen. He was a nice, generous guy, but he didn't talk much.

We strode up as I pulled the Gold Ribbon out. "Dugtrio, here's that Gold Ribbon I owe you." When we first started our exploration team, Dugtrio (back then, he was still a Diglett) loaned us 5000 Poke in items for our first mission. Since then, we hadn't been in town very often, so I never had the chance to pay him back.

He stared at it in silence, then shook his head. "You guys have sold me enough goods to make my money back ten-fold. As far as I'm concerned, we're square. Keep it. Gold looks good on you," he offered.

Taking the hint, I tied it around my head so two long strips of it were hanging loose. "Thank you, Dugtrio."

As we walked away, Victor started complaining. "How come _I_ don't get an awesome headband?"

"Because you're not the leader." Spirit replied, smacking him in the back of the head with his tail.

Our last stop was Rhydon's Storage. We actually had to wait in line. There were two teams ahead of us who apparently had a lot to do. First was Team Aces, which consisted of leader Avrey the Sceptile, Ken the Infernape, and Luke the Lucario. They joined up in Avrey's home forest, I think. They were depositing the spoils from their last exploration and picking up some more items for the next. Behind them was Team BlackBelt, which was leader Spinner the Hitmontop, Li the Medicham, and Venom the Croagunk. They were picking up some items for their next mission as well.

Venom was the first to notice us walk up. "Oh, hey. It's Team Alpha," he said evenly, slouching a bit more than usual.

Spinner turned around and nodded to me. "Hey there, Kahrik. What took you so long to get back your trip? Did you get lost on the way back?"

"Heh, heh," I replied, lowering my eyelids. "Funny." The Hitmontop was excessively annoying, and he was always making fun of me for some reason. Maybe because he knew it riled me up. "Couldn't cut it at the circus, so you came to bother us here?" I replied spitefully.

"HEY!" He snapped, glaring at me. "Take that back!"

I won. "Jeez, I'm the Fire Pokemon here and _you're_ the one getting hot under the collar?" I jeered, crossing my arms.

Li touched his shoulder. "Spinner, mind your temper. There's no reason to get upset." She was always ruining my fun.

Finally, Ken looked over his shoulder to see what the ruckus was. "Hey! Shorty!" That's what he always calls me. I frowned. When he saw that, he laughed and walked over, holding a hand over my head. "You got taller! Found some stilts, huh?"

"Good to see you too," I replied through clenched teeth.

He patted me on the head and laughed. "Don't worry. Maybe someday you'll be as tall as me."

Spirit defended me before I punched him in the face. "He's close now. When he evolves into Charizard, he'll be a lot taller than you. Now, he's only four inches shorter."

Ken stared at me for a moment. "Heh, guess you're right. You'll all be taller than me. Especially Spirit. He's bigger than me now. How long are you, twelve, thirteen feet? Good thing you don't need to find clothes. It'd be hard to find a thirteen-foot sock."

"And I'm sure it'd be hard to find you a flame-retardant swim-cap," Spirit replied with a grin.

The older Infernape held his belly and laughed. "Right again!"

As the two teams left, I found myself thinking. When did Spirit get so damn quick? When he was a Dratini, he never could have come up with a jab that fast. I guess evolving made him faster with his tongue. That would also explain why he doesn't stutter anymore.

Rhydon brought me out of my ponderous gaze. "Hey, Kahrik! You gonna do something? I got customers waiting!"

I shook my head and ran over, dumping our treasures onto the counter. "I need to put all this into storage for later." He nodded, then put it in the back. "Can we buy some straw?"

As he walked back out, he handed me three bundles of straw. "On the house, friend."

I nodded quickly, leaning back to balance myself as we left Paragon Village from the west exit, headed straight for the waterfall. It didn't take long to get there, or to set up our base in the cave hidden behind it. What did take long was setting up the entrance so I didn't have to hover over my tail every time I walked in or out. We took some fallen pine boughs from the nearby forest and Spirit dug into the rock wall with a small Dragon Rush, creating a perfect spot to insert the branches. Then, we took extra ferns and layered them across the top and to the side, creating a doorway. To strengthen it up more, I carved open one of the trees and took some sap, spreading it across the top and edge to make a water-tight seal. Next, instead of wasting it, I fastened the loose bark on top to form the roof of the doorway. It looked good and smelled great, and we made it big enough for a Snorlax to fit through standing up, complete with two feet of overhead space.

The cave was made up of two rooms: a large entry room that we would use for meetings with guests, and a back room that we would use for the bedroom. In the bedroom, I used the straw bundles to create our three beds, forming a semi-circle around the entry door, big enough so even when we hit our final forms, we wouldn't have to adjust them much. Then, Spirit helped me dig a deep trench in the stone floor surrounding the main room, and fill it with water from the pool formed by the falls. He liked that. Next, Victor helped me carry enough wood to build a simple bridge across the trench so I wouldn't have to do any jumping to get to bed at night. We tested it's strength by all climbing onto the middle and jumping up and down. It held quite nicely, actually. Not bad for a team of Pokemon with only one member who has something close to thumbs, eh?

While Victor was busy using ferns to make a door between the main room and the bedroom, Spirit and I went out and got a large stump to use for a table. We carried it back and carved it to the right size outside with Slash and Dragon Rush, until he could curl around it twice. We rolled it into the main room and set it down in the center. Victor was done with the door by then, so we all went out and found what we saw as suitable chairs. For me, a large rock was enough. To make it somewhat comfortable, I used ferns to make a cushion. Spirit made his chair out of some extra straw, piling it up so it would be big enough for when he evolved. Until then, he didn't really need one. Victor flew out and came back with a chunk of the stump, carved it into a chair, and landed on top of it.

Now came the hard part. We went outside and climbed to the top of the waterfall in search of a boulder. It didn't take long to find. We rolled it off the edge of the falls, and it fell into the pool below. Then, Spirit, being the only one of us who could swim, dove in and retrieved it, rolling it onto shore. Together, we split it in two and smashed away at it until we had two troughs. We carried those in and filled one with fresh water, the other with apples and berries gathered from the surrounding forest.

Our base was complete. Food, water, sleeping area. Now we just needed décor. For that, we needed to talk to the local Smeargle.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

"So, this is the place you want decorated?" Michelangelo asked, scratching his chin. He had an Italian accent, and instead of green, the tip of his tail was blue. "I could perhaps paint a mural dedicated to your final forms, or maybe devise a team logo for you?" The Smeargle always aimed to please. "A giant Charizard, Dragonite, and Flygon, all bursting from behind a three-dimensional A. Ooh, with an explosion behind them!"

I blinked. "What are we, the A-team?" I thought for a second. "Well, I suppose we are, but I think that's a bit much. I was thinking something less egotistical, like a nice painting of the mountains at sunrise, when the sky is just starting to turn red, and a few light, fluffy clouds. Maybe a small forest in front of them, and a stream flowing between two of the mountains and connecting to a lake in front."

Victor shook his head. "No, I think we should have a desert scene, nice and dry and airy with sand dunes and a bright, blue sky, the sun standing out clear as day."

"I'd prefer an ocean scene, water as far as the eye can see, crystal clear and calm under a darkening sky, with the sun just going to bed, the moon within sight, and stars starting to show up." Spirit's eyes sparkled as he imagined it.

It was easy to see it wouldn't be easy to agree on decorations. I liked morning mountains, Victor liked daytime desert, and Spirit liked sunset sea. If there were three rooms, we could compromise, but that wasn't the case. I thought for a long time. "Well, this room already has water around the edge. How about we decorate this room like an oasis under a sunset sky? That way, I get my trees, Victor gets his sand, and Spirit gets his water and sunset."

We agreed, and Michelangelo immediately got to work with painting the walls. "Okay, we have the main room figured out. What about the bedroom?" Victor asked, landing on his chair.

Spirit spoke before I even had the chance to open my mouth. "How about we decorate the bedroom with ferns and such from the forest around us, to give it an outdoors-y feel? We're already having Michelangelo do all the decorating in here except for the moat."

I nodded. "I like that idea." Then, I glared at Victor. "And before you open your yap, we can spread sand across the floor so you still have your desert feel to it. We can have Michelangelo paint a night sky on the ceiling, and while he does that we can use tree sap to glue ferns to the walls."

By the end of the day, the base was completely decorated, and we were tired. I gave Michelangelo the rest of the Poke from our bag as payment, and we went to bed, completely forgetting about dinner.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_It was dark. Horribly dark. Suffocatingly dark. The flame of my tail only lit so far, just enough to see the floor for a foot away from me, and then... darkness. Too quiet... not a sound. The only disturbance to the silence was my own breathing. I was alone, or so it seemed. Where were Victor and Spirit? Were they okay? Were they... dead?_

_I took a step back, straining my eyes to catch any sign of movement. Nothing. Nothing. My fiery-hot blood, chilled to the core. For the first time in a long time, I was scared. Dead scared, like every fiber of my being was screaming of impending doom._

_So cold. Why am I cold? I'm a Fire Pokemon. I shouldn't be cold. I should be hot, if nothing else. How could I be cold?_

_Finally, a light. It's far away, but it's light. I ran toward it, eager to escape this. Anything but this. I'll give the flame at the end of my tail to get away from this cold, this dark, this sense of foreboding. Anything to get as far as I could from this._

_But the light didn't lead to freedom, to sanctuary. I didn't see anything good there. I saw a monster, a great, dark Pokemon, bruised purple with wide wings, a cold azure underbelly, six sails of the same color on his back in rows of three, two more on the tip of its tail, and eye ridges, also that same, chilling blue. It's eyes were stricken with bloodlust, glittering bright red. But it wasn't the only Pokemon there. Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno lay in bloodied, messy heaps on the ground, none of them conscious. There was another Pokemon, almost exactly like the dark one, only instead of the more demonic coloration, it was snow white, with warm black ridges instead of icy cerulean, and an ocean blue underbelly._

_Shadow Lugia and Lugia._

_But how could they exist in different bodies? From what I'd heard, Shadow Lugia was just a corrupt version of Lugia. Then I figured it out; what I saw wasn't Lugia. It couldn't be. The voice, so familiar, but it couldn't be the legendary psychic Pokemon._

"_DAD!" I shouted. Why would I shout that? Was I not in control of my own body? And which one was I talking to, anyway?_

_They both looked at me. The normal Lugia looked worried, but the Shadow Lugia looked murderous. "Let's see how well you fight when I take away your reason for challenging me." Then, it turned it's head toward me and opened its mouth, a golden orb forming in it's throat._

_The regular one was screaming at me to move, but for some reason I couldn't. I was frozen in place. That Shadow Lugia was going to kill me, and I just couldn't get my legs to move. It fired its attack, a Hyper Beam. The pure energy flare grew closer and closer, so close I could feel the heat of it on my face-_

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

I woke with a start, jerking to an upright position, covered in sweat. For a while, I sat without moving, my chest heaving as I panted to catch my breath. I wiped my face, then looked at the adjacent beds. Victor was stretched out on his bed, using his wings as a blanket. Spirit was curled up, using his belly as a pillow, snoring peacefully.

After a while, I got up, and walked outside to cool myself down. I may be a Fire Pokemon, but even I needed to keep a little cool. The air was crisp and clear, and smelled of fresh water and pine trees. I sat down at the edge of the pool, dangling my feet just a few inches above the surface of the water. What was that dream all about? Why couldn't I get myself to move? Why did I call that Lugia my father? Where were my friends? It was so confusing...

I looked up at the sky, my eyes locking on the moon. A flock of Ledian and Ledyba flew overhead, their wings beating ultra fast. One of the small ladybug Pokemon took notice of me and fluttered down, staring at me. Then, it giggled, splashed me a little, and shot away before I could use Flamethrower. To tell the truth, I didn't care. None of the water got on my flame, so I was fine. It was kind of cute, anyway.

That nightmare woke me up too early. I got up again, deciding it was too early to stay up the rest of the night and expect a productive way tomorrow, and went back inside to sleep with a silent prayer.

_Please, someone tell me what it all means._

**End Chapter 5**

Phew! That wasn't easy either.

So we leave with more questions than answers. Actually, I don't think that answered any questions except 'When is my OC going to make an appearance?'.

Our newest questions: What _was_ that dream all about? Why did Kahrik call that Lugia his dad? Why couldn't he move? Most importantly, where was everyone else? These questions will be answered later. If I told you the answers now, you wouldn't need to wait for the rest of the story and you wouldn't keep reading. I hate spoilers.

I'm still accepting OC's for the story. I'd like Outlaws at this point, and possible recruits for the evil teams. Again, submit them in your reviews!

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

**Name:** Shadow Lugia

**Gender:** not applicable

**Species:** corrupt Lugia

**Level:** 80

**Personality:** Shadow Lugia is a creature bent completely on the destruction of the world. It feeds off of suffering and despair, and feels nothing but hatred and malice. Once, it was a normal Lugia, existing only to protect the seas. But now, thanks to humans from a far away land, it is evil.

**Goal:** Destroy the world, and take every other Pokemon with it.

**Appearance:** bruised purple with wide wings, a cold azure underbelly, six sails of the same color on his back in rows of three, two more on the tip of its tail, and eye ridges, also that same, chilling blue. Glittering bright red eyes.

**History:** A normal Lugia was captured by humans and experimented on with various machines and poisons until its mind was corrupted completely with darkness and loathe for any creature alive.

**Moves:** Hyper Beam, Aeroblast, Psyshock, Punishment

**Alignment:** Villain


	6. A Summons from Suicune?

We last left off with Kahrik being plagued by a mysterious nightmare that left us with three more questions to be answered. But what about Kyuri? We left the female Cubone back at Clefable's Guild after Team Alpha ran off.

This is a pretty short chapter, so I apologize in advance.

Pokemon belongs to GameFreak... I think... I own Team Omega and most of the members of the guild. Honey and Szac belong to Honeywhisker and Joker, respectively.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 6: A Summons from Suicune?**

**Kyuri's POV**

After Team Alpha ran off, the guild went back to their normal functions. Szac was lucky: Clefable was in a forgiving mood, and he only used mild language, so he only got a warning. Unfezant gave him a royal chewing for insulting Team Alpha like he did, but I don't care. I agree with Szac. That rusty old bird can suck on a Weedle. Team Alpha's sudden evolution was highly suspicious. I suspect it was one of those Group Evolutions that Clefable warns every guild member about when they first join.

Group Evolutions are rare, strange occurrences that force Pokemon to evolve, no matter how far they are from Luminous Cavern. Most of the time, it makes them go crazy, even murderous. He said that's what happened to Team Rapture once, but he wouldn't say any more. When I asked him about it, he shuddered and walked away.

Kahrik didn't take notice, but there's a shop inside the guild on the second floor, down a hallway on the other side of the stairwell. It's Porygon2's Swap Shop. There, you can take items found in treasure chests and trade them for better items. There's one run by a Croagunk at Wigglytuff's Guild, and I heard his cauldron is connected to Porygon2's. My team and I went over there to talk to Porygon2 about what happened, and we overheard a conversation with Honey and Szac about what happened. She and Szac were sitting in a corner together where they thought no one could hear.

Honey spoke first. "Szac, how do you think Team Alpha evolved so far away from Luminous Cavern?" she asked, her tail swaying back and forth.

Szac looked to the left and right behind him, then leaned forward. "If you ask me, it was a Group Evolution."

The Eevee gasped. "No, not Team Alpha! You really think so?"

"Yeah. There's no other explanation that comes to mind. Did you see how bad that Charmeleon was banged up? I bet they were in a rough battle, and that Group Evolution came along just in time to save their sorry butts." Szac grumbled, crossing his arms.

She shook her head. "Gosh, I hope not. But if that's the case, why didn't they go crazy?"

"And how do you know they didn't?" the Riolu countered. "All we know is they braved a blizzard and saved Team Alpha. Who's to say they didn't kill the Pokemon they were fighting?"

"They couldn't. They wouldn't! Team Alpha swore an oath that they would never do that!" Honey defended them like a devoted fan.

He quietly shook his head. "There's only one other explanation. I heard from a Pokemon that passed through here a few months ago that insanity wasn't the _only_ side effect of Group Evolutions."

Honey gasped. "Then what's the other side effect?"

"Sometimes, during Group Evolutions, things change inside a Pokemon. Those things decide if a Pokemon is good or evil and, in some cases, how easily they can be controlled. That's what Illiaster said, anyhow. He's an Ampharos. He told me that, sometimes, when a Pokemon evolves and they aren't ready, they can be swayed to follow anybody. They lose all judgment."

"That's terrible!" Honey squeaked, shaking her head.

"I know."

"Losing the ability to tell right from wrong? What a horrible thing!"

I couldn't listen anymore. I focused on talking to Porygon2. "So, any news on the Swap Shop, Porygon2?"

"YES. I'VE GOT SOME NEW ITEMS HERE THAT'VE BEEN UPGRADED A LOT. YOU'LL LIKE THIS ONE," he said, pulling out a Cubone Scarf. "THIS ITEM HELPS YOUR THROWS PIERCE THROUGH OTHER OBSTACLES, LIKE ENEMY POKEMON PERHAPS?" Then, he pulled out a Leafy Hat and a Peck Bow. "THIS LEAFY HAT WILL INCREASE VICTORIA'S HP, AND THIS PECK BOW IS MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR EKANS. SOMETIMES, IT MAKES IT SO ENEMY POKEMON CAN'T MOVE." He handed them to Victoria and Soul. "YOU CAN KEEP THOSE," he added, spinning around.

"Thanks, Porygon2!" Victoria smiled, putting on the hat.

"ANYTHING TO HELP TEAM OMEGA!"

Then, who should ruin our fun but Unfezant. "Okay, okay, come on now. Bed time." No matter how much we protested, he sent everyone to bed and helped Sentinel lock the guild up for the night.

In our room, Victoria lay on her straw bed, staring out the crystal window at the ocean around us. "Kyuri, I don't want to go to bed so soon."

"I know, Victoria. Who does? But, I suppose we don't have much of a choice."

"Oh, that rotten, smelly bird!" Soul grumbled, curling up on her bed. "Always ruins all the fun, just like Chatot at Wigglytuff's Guild."

I laughed at the comparison, then laid down to go to sleep. "Good night, girls. We'll show that ruddy bird just how good a team we are in the morning."

"Right," the other two responded before yawning and falling asleep. I soon found myself joining them.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_Somehow, I found myself in the Northern Wastes, a place I'd never been before. It was a frozen land, just like the Southern Wastes, but there was more water. It wasn't as cold, either._

_There, in the middle of the half-frozen lake, I saw a wolf-like figure. It stood bravely, it's very presence breathtaking. Then, it leapt over to me, landing on the surface of the water but never sinking more than a centimeter. How could it do that?_

_Finally, I could see her well enough to describe her. She was a teal creature, with white diamond-shaped patches on her, and a long, flowing violet mane. On her forehead was a blue, hexagon-shaped crystal on her forehead. From behind her came two ribbon-like tails, snow-white, one flowing forward on each side. Her underbelly and muzzle were the same pure color._

"_Who are you?" I asked, staring nervously at the majestic Pokemon._

"_I am called many names. Humans call me the Aurora Pokemon. Others call me the North Wind. However, my true identity is the legendary beast brought back by Ho-Oh to represent the rains that quenched the flames of the Brass Tower, Suicune." I took note of her long winded-ness and nodded. She then turned her back to me and stared. "Hop on. I have to show you something."_

_Obviously I wasn't fond of thinking at the moment, because I climbed onto her back without a second thought. The next thing I knew, we were racing across the landscape, dodging trees, running across water, and leaping higher into the Northern Wastes._

_By the time we reached our destination, icicles were forming on my skull helmet, and I climbed off slowly, my fingers practically ready to use Ice Punch. Suicune pointed me to a cave sealed up with a sheet of ice and snow. "Inside there is a Pokemon that need your help. You and Team Alpha must come to the Northern Wastes and free him from this prison. He will play an important part in the events to come."_

"_Before we free him, who is he?" I asked, staring at the entrance. Did Suicune want us to free an evil Pokemon?_

_The azure wolf looked down at me for a moment, then turned to leave._

"_He is called the Great Kehrimohr."_

**End Chapter 6**

Ah, the majestic Suicune leaves us with few questions to ask, and several answered. Okay, maybe not several. Maybe I answered one without it having to be asked. Either way you cut it, I didn't add questions to be answered in this chapter. Yay less work for me! Kehrimohr will make his appearance in the next chapter.

Also, sandshrewtc, I accept your OC despite your lack of an account. Jac, Saber is indeed worthy and will make an eventual appearance. Probably at the same time Illiaster returns to the story.

I leave with one last quote: God bless Command+C.

I'm still accepting OC's for the story. I need 6 more Outlaws at this point, possible recruits for the evil teams. Again, submit them in your reviews! Those who have already submitted OC's, please give others a chance to get in on the action, as it were.

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

**Name:** Suicune

**Gender:** Female

**Species:** Suicune

**Level:** 50

**Personality:** Suicune is a calm, focused Pokemon. She is known to have limited psychic abilities, as well as the power to purify dirty water and run across water (THE JESUS POKEMON!). In the face of danger, Suicune maintains a cool composure, and defeats its enemies with extreme prejudice.

**Goal:** To protect the world.

**Appearance:** normal Suicune

**History:** Suicune was created after the destruction of the Brass Tower by none other than Ho-Oh, the Guardian of the Skies. It is said to represent the North Wind, as well as the rains that doused the fire that consumed the tower. Since then, Suicune has been searching for Pokemon to assist it in its quest.

**Moves:** Bubblebeam, Ice Beam, Calm Mind, Mirror Coat

**Alignment:** Legendary


	7. The Northern Wastes

This would've been up yesterday if I had enough time to write it. And I had a small bout with the demon Obstructo, lord of writer's block.

Bastard.

And... hey! Only one person voted! Thanks, Diablo125. Now, everybody else, vote in the poll. He isn't going to evolve right away; I just want to know what you want him to look like. I am aware it wasn't showing up earlier... I... er... forgot to select 'Yes' for Show on Profile... heh... heh...

Let's see... we left off at the end of Kyuri's dream, in which the legendary Pokemon Suicune summoned her to free The Great Kehrimohr, Legendary Explorer. And no, I'm not going to go on and on about what happened between Kyuri's dream and their arrival in the Northern Wastes. Instead, the first few paragraphs will summarize what happened.

darkheart753 used Time Skip!

Pointless Filler was avoided!

I own very little of this story, the more I think about it. I own the storyline, Team Alpha, Team Omega, and Kehrimohr... well, mostly. Pokemon is property of GameFreak. All OC's belong to their respective creators. Meh.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 7: The Northern Wastes**

**Kyuri's POV**

After I woke up, we raced out of the guild to the waterfall Team Alpha was based in. I have to admit, they have good taste in décor. We woke them up and I told Kahrik about my dream. He put up a bit of a fight about gallivanting off over a dream, but Spirit talked him into submitting. In about ten minutes, he gathered the items he needed from Dugtrio's Item Shop and Rhydon's Storage for our journey, and we left for the Northern Wastes.

It took three days to get there. Victor was complaining that he had to walk all the way there. "If we were in our final forms, we could pick you guys up and carry you there." Blah, blah, blah. Walking is good for you. Kahrik quickly silenced him with a blow to the back of the head and a reprimand. At least we didn't have to listen to him the whole way. Victoria was the only one who found him funny.

The Northern Wastes was a vast dungeon with a high wall all around it to keep the heavy snow from destroying everything around it. The doorway was formed by a giant ice arch, built by thousands of Mamoswine and Piloswine ages ago, back when humans still lived in the area. Legends say that the reason humans no longer live here is they enraged the legendary ice Pokemon that lived here, Regice. They tried to destroy his mountain home, and he brought down his full wrath to make them leave. Terrified by the rage of a single Pokemon, they ran away to faraway regions, never to return lest Regice inflict more suffering upon them. Thinking of what happened to them—the humans—makes me feel kind of sad. They were so scared of a Pokemon that they ran away. I wonder if there are Pokemon where they ran away to. I wonder what a human looks like. I've heard they don't have fur, and their ears are on the _sides_ of their heads.

Kahrik led the way through the door. "As soon as we get on the other side, we're in the Northern Wastes. The place is known for powerful Ice Pokemon, so be on guard, guys. One well-aimed Ice Beam and I'll be dragging you all home on a sled. Spirit, Victor, Victoria, and especially you, Kyuri, try to avoid trouble, alright? I don't feel like developing biceps that I'm going to lose when I evolve anyway." He could be a real jerk, but he was right. Being a Ground Pokemon, I wouldn't do well here. I definitely didn't want a repeat of the Southern Wastes. But, at the same time, I didn't want him to think he could push me around. I could take him on if I wanted to.

Now was not the time to let him win. "I _did_ go to school. I know my type alignments. I'm not stupid," I growled in response, walking past him.

"I was offering help, dumb ass. Get off your high horse," he snarled as Victor and Spirit moved out of the way of my team.

"Don't call her that, you prick!" Soul hissed, rearing her head at the lizard.

Kahrik looked at her through sly eyes, curling the corner of his mouth into a sneer. "You really want to ride this train?" he asked, flexing his claws. "You and I both know you can't take me on. Remember our showdown at Poison Woods."

I remembered it. It was before Team Omega joined the guild. Soul, Victoria, and I went there, to prove we could cut it as explorers. But apparently, though Clefable didn't tell us, he sent another team to deter us. Team Alpha was the team we had to take on. They joined a few months before we did, and they had a lot more experience than we did. When they saw how young we were, they refused to battle us. That didn't sit too well with Soul. She thought he meant we were weak, instead of wanting us to have our chance. She called him an insufferable, sexist swine.

By the time Kahrik was finished with her, Audrey had to have her in the hospital for a solid month before she was capable of battling with her. He was stronger than he looked, even as a Charmander. She put up as best a fight as she could, but his Twin Flamethrower technique was out of this world. Soul didn't have anything on him.

Still, the snake was resilient. "I've gotten stronger since our last battle."

I couldn't let this happen. "No. It's my turn." I stepped in the way between her and Kahrik. "You aren't going to beat my partner the way you did last time. I won't let you." I held up my club, ready to fight.

I noticed Spirit start to move forward, but Kahrik motioned for him to stay. "If she wishes to battle me solo, allow her." Then, he stepped forward, loosening the golden band around his head. "So be it." With that, he crouched in a ready stance. "You make the first move. After you lose and we get home, you can be our maid."

That set me over the edge. I tightened my grip on my bone club and charged forward, ready to knock his block off. "ASSHOLE!" I roared as I got within reach, swinging the club around like a baseball bat, trying to connect with his head.

He caught my club with one hand, hardly straining himself to hold me back. Then, he ripped it out of my hand and brought his head down on mine, clenching his jaws around the muzzle of my helmet. He spun around a few times, his teeth scraping the metal, before letting go, sending me flying into my teammates.

As I struggled to get up, he examined the bone. "You know, real Pokemon don't need weapons to use their attacks. Look at you. Why _do_ Cubone wear masks? Are you afraid your faces will scare away any potential mate?" He jeered, tossing the bone in front of me.

"You jerk!" I shouted, grabbing the bone from the ground. Amongst other Cubone, I was already a freak. My club was a metal bar with two rounded spikes on each end. I never knew my mother, so how could I wear her dead skull? My helmet was made by humans, and stolen by Harpazo for when I hatched. The bastard never did anything useful, but he did at least allow me to look like the rest of my species. "Shut up!" I screamed, clenching my teeth and trying not to start crying.

"Oh, poor baby. Let's fight, and I'll show you how _real_ Pokemon do battle!" he snarled, taking a deep breath before firing a Flamethrower right at my head.

Thinking quickly, I rolled out of the way, hiding my eyes so he couldn't blind me with the heat. Kahrik strode over to me and hoisted me up by my tail until my brown eyes met his angry azure orbs. They were in an even angrier glare than was normal for his species, narrow and cold, even though he was a fire Pokemon. Why was he so angry at me?

Before I could protest, he threw me into the air and, while I couldn't dodge, jumped up after me and drove his razor-sharp claws into my back, sending both of us back to the ground. I could feel my warm, earthy red blood oozing from the deep wounds and down my back. Then, while I was incapable of escaping, he darted his head forward and clamped his jaws around the back of my neck, shaking my limp body back and forth like a piece of prey. He wasn't really trying to hurt me—if he was, he would've dug his teeth in deeper. It was like he was trying to teach me a lesson without making me useless for the mission.

After a while, he let go, blood dripping from his mouth. "_Never_ call me an asshole," he whispered in my ear. I could see the bright crimson liquid drops fall from his lips and stain the pure snow directly beneath them. "_Nemo me impune lacessit_. Latin for _no one provokes me with impunity_. That's my motto, and one you would do well to remember." Then, he removed his claws from my back. "No one strikes me without punishment."

He backed away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. As I got to my feet, Soul slithered over, glaring at him while helping me up. "Bastard," she hissed, licking my wounds.

Kahrik turned away and looked at his team members. "Come on, men. We have a cave to find."

"You can't find it without me," I spat, wiping blood away from the back of my neck and packing it with snow. "I'm the one who had the dream."

For a moment, he was silent. Then, he turned his head so I could see his right eye. "Why do you think you're still alive?" My eyes widened when I realized his vendetta. "I'll let you live until you are no longer useful to me. When that last grain of sand falls to the bottom of the hourglass, you'd better watch your back. Cross me, and you die." With that, he and his team strode ahead. "I have no time for weaklings."

"I'm not weak," I answered, tears blurring my vision. "I'm not useless. You put everyone who knows you through hell! Why are you so cruel?"

He stopped in his tracks as the snow started falling, slowly covering up the evidence of our fight. "Cruel?" he turned to me, noticeable pain in his eyes. "You call _me_ cruel?" A long moment of silence passed between the six of us while he mulled over his next sentence. "You haven't seen anything yet, sweetheart. There are Pokemon out there that are a lot worse than me, Pokemon that will kill you with no mercy, as I show," he paused. "Pokemon that will make you watch as they take everything away from you. Hell?" he turned away, staring at his claws before flicking off the blood and striding ahead. "You know nothing of hell."

I couldn't let that go unanswered. I ran ahead, club in hand, and walked alongside him, glaring at him. "At least you knew your parents!" his eyes widened and he stopped his gait. "I never even got to see them!"

He stared at me in disbelief for a moments. "You never knew your parents," he repeated, scratching his chin. After that, he strode forward. "Consider yourself lucky. I watched my mother and foster father get tortured and eventually murdered by Team Ragnarok. That is why I am 'cruel'. I can't afford weakness. I will not stop until I see that damned Honchkrow dead, his partners torn to shreds, and any Pokemon that helped him imprisoned for eternity. Until then, my life is an eternal nightmare."

My team followed behind, neck and neck with his partners. "Team Rapture is responsible for my predicament. I never even got to know my parents. They kidnapped me while I was still an egg. I hatched at their base."

We didn't talk after that. In fact, he almost never opened his mouth after that. He let me lead the way across the landscape I dreamt of, and he did most of the attacking, knocking other Pokemon flat on their asses sometimes before I even knew they were there. After several hours of walking, we reached the frozen cave.

"So this is the place," he murmured, staring at the icy wall between us and the inside of the cave.

Victor flew over to him and glanced at the wall. "Why don't we just melt it and move on?" he asked, ready to use Dragonbreath.

Kahrik reached down and hovered a hand in front of the Dragon Pokemon's face. "We don't know how good the upper support for that wall is. If we melt it without checking first, we could send more snow crashing down on all of us in an avalanche," he replied, pointing up to the top. "Fly up there and test it out. Walk around on the snow above the door."

"I have a better idea," Spirit offered, slithering over to the other side. "How about you just melt a hole big enough for you to fit through? You're the biggest one here that can't fit through a small hole."

The male Charmeleon considered this for a while, then looked over at him. "And _that's_ why you're on the team," he replied, pointing to the long blue and white Pokemon. Then, he stepped forward and took a breath. One Flamethrower later, there was a wide hole in the wall.

What happened next astonished us. The ice actually grew back to cover the hole. For a solid fifteen minutes, we stood staring at the spot the hole was on until Victor broke the silence. "That's not normal."

Kahrik clenched his teeth and snarled. "No ice block is going to best me." He took another deep breath and sent another Flamethrower into the ice. Again, the hole patched itself. He was quiet. "Okay, any other ideas?"

Soul slithered forward. "Kyuri could smash the ice with her club and we could rush in. That might work."

Spirit shot her down immediately. "Great, break the ice and get about halfway through before the ice grows back and cuts you in half. That's the best thing I've heard all day. Shall we?" He shook his head before sliding over to the ice, rubbing his cheek against it. He pulled his head back and watched the ice slowly refreeze the small dent he made. "It works very slowly. Maybe your Twin Flamethrower would work?"

Kahrik nodded, then motioned for him to step aside. He took a deep breath, then rose his arms, slowly lowering them in front of him. After a moment, he jerked his hands back, and blue flames danced across his claws. He drew back his stance, then thrust his fists forward, sending two pillars of fire into the ice. "As soon as I stop, jump through! One! Two!" He stepped forward, "THREE!" As soon as his arms dropped, Spirit, Victor, Soul, and Victoria rushed the entrance, each slipping in before the ice sealed itself again.

He stood there for a moment, staring at me. "There was time for you to get through. Why didn't you go?"

"You first," I replied, glaring at him.

"What, you don't trust me after that fight?"

"I have my reasons."

"You have an inferiority complex."

"Maybe. I still won't trust you."

"If it closes, you have to rely on your club or get out of the way. One Flamethrower will put you in the hospital."

"I'll take my chances."

Silence, then a chuckle. "Very well." He took a deep breath and unleashed a Flamethrower at the ice, melting it and creating his doorway. Instead of cutting off the flames, he ran forward, only closing his mouth when he was close enough to jump through. He made it, and I was about to enter before there was a bark behind me.

I spun around, and there she was. Suicune, the Aurora Pokemon. She strode over, holding her head proudly. "So you answered my call," she said, staring at me with her cool, blue eyes. "Where is your team and Team Alpha?"

"In there," I replied, pointing to the cave.

She shook her head and strode over, sniffing at the wall as the ice closed. "This is the work of a powerful Ice Pokemon. If your friends are in there, it won't be easy to get them back out." She turned to me then, and lowered her head. "I think I might be able to help with getting you in, though. Break the ice with your Bone Club," she instructed me, stepping over to the ice and shaking her mane.

I nodded, then lifted my bone into the air, slamming it as hard as I could into the ice wall. It shattered, and immediately started growing back. But Suicune was a force to be reckoned with. She used Mirror Coat to stop the ice from sealing in. Instead, it grew backwards and widened the hole until Suicune could get in with me. We entered and were met with the stares of my companions.

"Suicune..." Kahrik whispered, inclining his head slightly.

The wolf-like Pokemon strode over to him, holding herself high. "You, Kahrik, need to be more considerate of others. You should treat your friends with more respect, and stop being so arrogant. You may be one of the Chosen Ones, but that does not give you the right to be cold. As a Fire Pokemon, you need to learn to control the two emotions you are known for: love and anger. Apathy is not in your nature."

He seemed surprised that she knew his name, but he lowered his eyes without a word. Then, Suicune turned back to me. "Go forth, Kyuri. Free Kehrimohr."

That got his attention. "Kehrimohr!" He gasped, his head jerking up to meet eyes with the legendary beast. "As in, the Great Kehrimohr?"

"The same."

"Zapdos." Kahrik muttered, turning to see deeper into the cave. He clenched his fists, and his tail flared brightly, lighting the cave up so we could see easily. "Let's go, Team Alpha. We have a Pokemon to find."

He, Spirit, and Victor left without another thought. "You'd better go after them, child," Suicune said, nudging me forward. "Go! Find Kehrimohr!"

I paused, looking back at Suicune. "What kind of Pokemon are we looking for, exactly?"

What she said next amazed me. "Zoroark."

**End Chapter 7**

Ta-dah! So, now you know what kind of Pokemon The Great Kehrimohr is. Zoroark, the Master of Illusions. And I do have a few questions left unanswered in this chapter! w00t.

How does Suicune know The Great Kehrimohr? What is his relation to Kahrik? What Pokemon created that ice wall, and why? The last few will be answered in the next chapter, actually.

Coming Soon! Chapter 8: The Great Kehrimohr

Still in need of OC's for the other teams.

Syko: Hey, look what I found in darkheart's desk!

Me: Syko, no!

**Evil Teams in PMD: TEN**

Team Ragnarok

Death the Honchkrow

War the Houndoom

Pestilence the Shiftry

Famine the Crawdaunt

Team Rapture

Seraph the Froslass

Harpazo the Gengar

Epiphaneia the Sableye

Parousia the Mismagius

Team Apocalypse

Illiaster the Ampharos

Team Quietus

Dusk the Dusknoir

Me: Damn it, Syko! INFORMATION LEAK! Thanks a lot!

Syko: Don't mention it. Hey, she accepts Pokemon from people who don't have accounts!

Skizzo: And she wants more reviews this time! She knows you're reading, and she'd appreciate the feedback! For every person who reads this story and doesn't review, she's gonna kill a kitten!

Me: What? No I'm not!

Skizzo: Think of the kittens! Read and review!


	8. The Great Kehrimohr

Okay, so we left off where Team Alpha and Team Omega got into the Frozen Cave, and Suicune told them what kind of Pokemon Kehrimohr was—Zoroark.

Thanks for voting in the poll, guys! I'm going to leave it up just in case we get more people reading so they have a chance to vote, but only until Chapter 15 is up. Oh, and just to drop the bomb on you a little late, your choice changes how Kyuri will look when she evolves into Marowak. How? You'll see.

Also, thanks to Psycro for Pettaja the Mawile, which he submitted before I posted Chapter 7. Oh, and for anyone wondering, the dividers I'm using aren't happy piggies, they're three Pichu. ^..^ ^..^ ^..^ The ^ are their ears and the periods are their eyes. See?

I own Pokemon. ...Okay, that's an extreme lie, but I can dream, can't I? I own the storyline, Team Alpha, Team Omega, Team Rapture, and Team Ragnarok. Most of everything else is made up of the Pokemon submitted in the reviews. Thanks to all who have submitted their OC's!

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 8: The Great Kehrimohr**

**Kyuri's POV**

Zoroark! The Master of Illusion Zoroark! I was so excited, even though we were rescuing a Pokemon in trouble. The Great Kehrimohr, a living legend, the first explorer _ever _to make Master Rank, was a Zoroark, and _I_ was supposed to save him. _ME!_ I was going to meet my idol!

Well, Kahrik was there too, but he's such a jerk. I don't know why he has to be so mean. I don't see how he sees his actions as okay, but whatever. At least he knew his parents.

My team followed his down the various corridors of the cave. The place was a maze, and it was hard to make our way through. After a long time, we reached a room with three possible exits and a stone with footprint runes on it. Kahrik stepped forward and peered at the chiseled rock, deciphering the ancient text. It was worn, and there was some sort of brown stuff dried on to a couple of the corners. I don't know what it was, but I have a feeling it wasn't supposed to be outside of someone's body, if you catch my drift.

"Let ye who thinkest thyself good enough, come hither to the home of thy master, and test thy strength against the greatest of all. Send twin pocket monsters into each entrance, and test thy abilities. What sits on the opposite side of the entrance? Arceus himself is the only one with the knowledge." He backed away and frowned. "I hate Olde English."

Spirit slithered forward and stared at it for a moment. "If you think you're strong enough, come in and test yourself against the best. Send two Pokemon into each room and see what you can do. What challenges await? Arceus only knows," he translated, shaking his head. "Exactly how old is this guy?"

I stepped forward and looked at the entrances. "Well, whoever it is, he knew we were coming. Look!" I pointed to the tops of each door. They were different sizes, and each had a strange symbol on the top. The one on the left featured the carving of an Ekans skull with a spike protruding from the forehead. The one on the right had a Trapinch skull with a leaf on the top. The one in the middle was the weird one, however. All it had was the Tai-chi symbol.

Victoria glanced up at them with difficulty. "I guess it means who should go through the entrance. That's a Turtwig leaf over the Trapinch skull, so I suppose Victor and I are supposed to go through that one," she said, tracing a circle on the floor with her front right foot. "Then the Ekans skull with the spike must mean Soul and Spirit have to go through that one."

"But-" I started.

"That means!" Kahrik finished for me.

We grimaced at each other and stepped back. "We have to go together!" we shouted in unison, glaring at each other.

"I don't want to go with her!" the male Charmeleon snarled, crossing his arms and showing his back to me. "She's a weakling!"

I clenched my fists and took a step forward. "Well, you're no Mewtwo either!" I snapped in response, turning away.

For once, Victor said something logical. "Um... can we just move on now? If that's how it is, then that's how it is. There's not much we can do to change it. Let's just go and help the Zoroark."

Kahrik stared at him for a while, then frowned. "Fine," he barked, striding through the door. "Try and keep up with me then, skull-head," he jibed at me.

I stomped the ground and followed him, shouldering my bone. "Don't move too slow, lizard-lips."

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

Somehow, we got stuck with the longest, most boring corridor we'd ever been in. We stomped alongside each other, never glancing at the other, focused on the darkness ahead. I wondered how Soul and Victoria were doing with Spirit and Victor. Considering their leader, they couldn't be doing much better than I was. If Kahrik was such a rude Pokemon, his friends couldn't be much better.

Still, it was getting pretty boring just to be walking along a musty, old corridor without talking. Even though he was a jerk, maybe we could manage a meaningful conversation. But what to talk about?

Luckily, he was the first to open his mouth, saving me the trouble of coming up with a topic. "Never knew your parents, huh?" he asked, looking down at me.

I decided I'd lead him around on a string for a while. "Nope," I replied shortly, averting my gaze to the joint between the wall and the floor.

He was quiet for a while, but found something else to say quickly. "I only ever knew my mother. My father ran off before I even hatched." That got my attention. I snapped my head towards him, and noticed he was paying more attention to the floor than anything else. "I never even knew his name. Mom always said he was a dragon, but that doesn't tell me anything. There aren't many Dragon Pokemon, but there are five Pokemon I know of that can transform into other Pokemon, and even Hitmonchan is a 'dragon' of punching moves."

I started to say something, but thought better of it after a moment. _He's trying to be nice,_ I thought, looking at the ground. _I may be the Lonely Pokemon, but he's been through just about the same thing I have. Except it probably hurt him worse, watching his parents die._ I straightened up and looked at him. It might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw extra water around the bottom of his eyes.

Another long moment of silence passed between us. I was about to speak again and break the silence when Kahrik slammed his weight against me, pinning me to the wall. "What the-" I started, but then I saw the cause. A thick Ice Beam was shooting down the hallway, and he took the full blunt of the attack, shielding me from harm. After a while, the Ice Beam ended, and he remained in front of me, turning his head to see down the hall.

"That was too close," he muttered, backing off before shaking the ice from his back. He then motioned for me to follow him. "Walk behind me, and don't step where the ice can hit you." So, we continued our walk.

I was still a little shocked from his actions. He and I were only arguing moments ago, and the next thing I know, he throws his bulk against me to save me from an attack that would have left me frozen or worse. Why would he do that?

I looked up to Arceus for guidance. It was then that I saw something above Kahrik. A few rocks shifted, and some of the dust fell on my skull. The stones above him were shaking like they were going to fall. The rocks would bury him in an instant! Without a second thought, I bunched up my legs and tackled him from behind, just as the boulders tumbled down.

He reacted about the same way I did. "What the f-" he pushed me off and turned around to see why I knocked him forward. When he saw the mound of rock lying in the exact spot he was standing only seconds before, he spun quickly and checked his tail. The blue flame was still flickering, though it was a bit lower than before.

"I saved you from an Ice Beam," he began, focusing his energy to make the fire burn higher, "that would've frozen you solid and rendered you powerless. You, however," he pointed morbidly at his tail, "saved my life."

"Saved your life?" I repeated, getting up and dusting myself off. "What do you mean, I saved your life?"

He stood up and swayed his tail from side to side. "Do you ever wonder why Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard's tails are always on fire? You never see one without a blazing tail. Do you know why?"

I looked down at the ground for a while, then looked at him. "Why?"

Kahrik looked at the wall, then picked up one of the rocks, using a Flamethrower on it so he could write with it. Then, he drew the outline of a Charmeleon, only there was no flame at the end of the tail. "The flame at the end of the tail," he explained, making a small, spiked ball at the end of the tail to represent a fire. He then drew a line from the fire through the tail and into the chest. "...is a direct link to the heart. As the heart beats," he smacked his chest, "the flame flickers." He drew an orb in the center of the chest. "The flame shows if a Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard is living," he threw the rock at the outline, hard enough to splatter the hot stone all over the drawing, "or dead."

"So... the flame is your heart?" I asked, scratching my head.

"No. It is the representation of my heart. In a way, it predicts the future," he replied, catching his tail and moving his hand around the fire. "It is said that, without the flame at the end of the tail, Charmeleon and his evolutionary brethren are incapable of using Fire attacks."

I stared at him in shock. "So, if you were to lose the fire at the end of your tail, you might not be able to use your fire ever again?"

"That's the superstition. It is unknown if it happens or not. Only that the Charmeleon that lose their flame don't survive their next battle. It might just be a mental thing, perhaps a scary story to put naughty Charmander to bed, but the fact stands. There's never been a Charmeleon to lose its flame and win any battle afterward, much less get it ignited again."

It was a morbid thought, to think your life depended on the state of a flame at the end of your tail. "But why would not having the fire prevent the use of Fire-type attacks?"

To answer, he opened his mouth to reveal a very small opening at the back of his throat. "You see that little hole?" I nodded. "It's another link." He shut his mouth. "The flame at the end of my tail lights every Fire attack I use."

"Well, why can't you just create static electricity in your mouth?"

He frowned and we stood there a while before he shrugged and continued walking down the hallway. "I dunno."

After quite some time of walking and 'bonding', we finally reached the center room, a vast, round room with three exits. In the center was a strange, azure crystal, about the size of a Dialga. As we stepped through the door into the room, we quickly found the room was perfectly spherical, and we fell down, rolled down the side, and smacked into the crystal. The moment we touched it, we were whisked away to another room. I don't know how that was possible, but whatever.

The room we ended up in was fairly plain, and in the center floated a strange Pokemon, a grayish-lavender with a long, thick, violet tail. He had two necks leading to a single head, like a cat's head, but with two rod-like ears. He had some sort of chest plate on, not really armor, but a part of him. He only had three fingers on each hand, and two toes, with a ball at the end of each foot for an ankle. His eyes were angry and purple, piercing and freezing me in place.

Our companions lay in crumpled, bloody heaps around the room, like he'd torn them apart without moving. He focused his gaze on Kahrik and finally spoke. "Are you the one who awakened me?" he asked venomously, lowering himself to the ground.

Kahrik looked to his left and saw Spirit, struggling to raise his head. "R-R-Run..." the Dragonair hissed, his head flopping down on the ground. He looked to his right and saw Victor, unconscious, blood oozing out of a wound at the back of his head.

The Charmeleon glared at the Pokemon. "Who the hell are you?"

He chuckled, smirking and stepping forward, his tail twisting behind him. "I am Mewtwo. I was created by humans to be the strongest Pokemon in the world. Stronger even than Mew."

When he spoke, his mouth never opened. Telepathy. So he was a Psychic Pokemon. No wonder he was able to defeat our friends so easily. I put my best foot forward, so to speak. "I don't care if you're Arceus himself! You don't get to hurt my friends without repercussions!" I shouted, curling my hand into a fist in front of me. "I'll crush your skull with my Bone Club!"

Kahrik raked his claws against the wall behind us. "It's been a long time since my claws tasted the blood of a Psychic Pokemon," he taunted, staring at the razor-sharp edge of the white talons.

Mewtwo laughed. "First you'll have to get in range, Flame Pokemon. My Psychic powers are without rival." With that, he rose one hand, narrowing his eyes. The hand glowed with a dark blue aura, and his eyes did the same.

The same aura surrounded Kahrik and lifted him up into the air. He seemed to be in pain, but the Psychic Pokemon was distracted. While he focused on Kahrik, I snuck around behind him where he couldn't see me. Just as he was about to throw the Charmeleon aside, I jumped up behind him and slammed a Bone Club right between his ears. "Take that, Houdini!" I shouted as he fell forward, releasing my travel partner.

As he hit the ground, he started to glow red, and I backed off as the strangest thing happened. His form changed, growing thinner around the waist, claws on the feet, which now turned into paws, and a thick, bushy mane on the back of the head, tied low in a ponytail. The ponytail was a dark violet color, but the rest of him was colored normally.

He was a shiny Zoroark!

After the transformation, he staggered to his feet, one hand always on his head. He growled and turned his head toward me, one furious, teal eye locked on my face. Then, he spun around and struck me on the nose with as much force as he could. Payback. My eyes were watering from the pain, so I couldn't see. Then, he struck me in the gut with a Hidden Power, sending me flying back to the wall. Judging by how much it hurt, it was a neutrally-damaging type, but it still left me winded.

Spirit managed to open one eye and whispered to me, "D-D-D-Dragon..." then, he passed out. So, that was how he hurt Spirit so badly. That Hidden Power was Dragon-type, so it knocked both Spirit and Victor on their tails.

Kahrik was having trouble as well. Zoroark tried to hit him with Shadow Claw after Shadow Claw, and the Charmeleon was doing his best to avoid every strike. Finally, he saw an opening. Taking a deep breath, Kahrik unleashed a Flamethrower right into Zoroark's chest, sending him back several feet and giving him a nasty burn.

For a while, they stood staring at each other, chests heaving to catch their breath. Finally, Zoroark started laughing. "You're the first Pokemon to get a strike on me in a long time! Me, The Great Kehrimohr!" he cackled, as if it was all some sort of joke. He was the Zoroark we were looking for!

Kahrik, however, wasn't in a laughing mood. "You hurt my friends," he snarled in response, spitting at the Dark Pokemon's feet. "You deserve punishment."

Kehrimohr stopped laughing and gazed into the Charmeleon's eyes. "You look oddly familiar. Have I kicked your butt before?"

"No, and you never will," Kahrik taunted in response, blowing a short jet of fire from his nostrils. "My name is Kahrik. I am the leader of Team Alpha, whose members you have already reduced to bloody pulp. The Dragonair and the Vibrava that lie unconscious to the sides of you are my friends."

Kehrimohr looked disinterested. "Yeah, yeah. Finish your monologue and let's get on with it."

Instead of that, Kahrik started powering up his twin Flamethrower move. "In the name of Ember the Charizard, I'm going to turn you into Magikarp food!" With that, he fired the attack, slamming both Flamethrowers into the Zoroark.

After he fell back and slid across the floor, Kehrimohr rolled onto his stomach and slowly got to his feet. "I knew an Ember once, except she was a Charmeleon when I met her. The only way she'd talk to me was if I transformed into a Dragon Pokemon."

The Charmeleon let his arms fall to his sides when he heard that. "D-Did you happen to meet that Charmeleon in the Scorched Valley?"

The Great Kehrimohr stared at him. "Yes, why?"

Without a word, Kahrik fell to his hands and knees, staring at the floor. "It-It can't be!" He glared at Kehrimohr, his tail swaying back and forth. "No way!"

The Zoroark didn't seem to be listening to him. He was rubbing his chin, eyes closed. "If memory serves, we-" Kahrik silenced him with a Flamethrower.

"Damn you! It's not true!" He roared, glaring at the Dark Pokemon. "It can't be true!"

By that time, I was on my feet, and ran over to Kahrik, helping him to his feet. "What can't be true?"

He glowered darkly at the Illusion Fox, his hands curling into fists. "Ember the Charizard is... or rather... was... my mother."

**End Chapter 8**

If you can't put two and two together and figure it out, I can't help you. And yes, I am aware that Charmeleon and Zoroark aren't in the same Egg Group, as Charmeleon is in the Monster and Dragon groups, while Zoroark is only in the Ground group. I don't care. Zoroark can turn into other Pokemon; they should've put him in the Ditto group.

So I answered the question; who is Kahrik's _real_ father? I mentioned the Feraligatr was Kahrik's _foster_ father... which I should've said _step_father instead. My bad. Wrong choice of words. Just now thought of that one.

Still accepting OC's from _anybody_ at this point. If you're reading and you don't have an account, just follow sandshrewtc's lead. Oh, and review. I know where you sleep. Just thought I'd tell you. }:|

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

**Name:** Kehrimohr

**Gender:** Male

**Species:** Zoroark

**Level:** 50

**Personality:** Kehrimohr is a trickster, and an obnoxious one at that. He uses his ability to transform into other Pokemon for his own selfish reasons. However, deep down, he _is_ a good explorer, and knows there's a time and place for everything.

**Goal:** Live life to the fullest

**Appearance:** shiny Zoroark

**History:** Kehrimohr was one of the first explorers to reach the Master Rank, granting his name a legendary status. Most Pokemon call him the Great Kehrimohr, though he is mostly just a Zoroark that had nothing better to do. However, for a long portion of early life, he was incapable of controlling his powers, as he experienced Group Evolution long before he should've evolved. As such, his attacks are much more developed than a Zoroark of the same level that evolved normally.

**Moves:** Payback, Shadow Claw, Hidden Power (Dragon), Torment

**Alignment:** Master Rank Solo Explorer


	9. The Ballad of the Battle

Okay, I'm pretty sure I left off where Kahrik and Kehrimohr are in the middle of a showdown and Kehrimohr mentioned he knew a Charmeleon named Ember, which happens to be the name of Kahrik's mother. I'm going to continue the fight scene and you'll see who is victorious in this chapter.

I own four of the teams, the concept of two others, the storyline, and the title. Everything else belongs to... well, someone else. ...Damn it.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 9: The Ballad of the Battle**

**Kahrik's POV**

It couldn't be true. He couldn't be my father. Not him. He was a damned sneak, and a trickster. A coward! He ran away from my mother—my family! I couldn't let that go unanswered. "Bastard," I spat, removing my arm from Kyuri's grasp. I strode forward, and clenched my fists. "I'll turn you into fish fodder!" I roared, crouching into a fighting stance.

He laughed in my face, bending his knees to prepare for the battle. "Well, if you _are_ my son, let's see if you're any good at fighting!" With that, he sprang forward, dragging a Shadow Claw along the ground to gain power.

I jumped over him as he reached me, and raked a Slash across his bare back. He howled in agony, but recovered quickly, driving a Payback-empowered fist into my gut. I flew back against the wall and groaned, slowly getting to my feet. A bruise was forming on my abdomen, and I drew an arm in front of my belly to protect it from further damage. Then, I shot forward, a primal snarl forming in my throat. Boy, was _he_ in for a surprise.

Kehrimohr smirked and braced himself for impact. He had no clue what my attacks were, other than Flamethrower and Slash. Instead of tackling him head on, I used him as a step ladder and shot towards the ceiling, digging my claws into the stone.

"Hey! Get back down here so I can smash you!" He Tormented me. I did my best to ignore it and looked for a weakness in the rock, the right place to dig in my claws and bury him for good.

It didn't take long. I soon found a crack in the roof, just above where he stood. I made to grab onto that crack as if I were just moving across the ceiling, but instead tore a stone lose, unleashing a Rock Slide before jumping down and rolling out of the way.

There was a low rumble before a solid ton of boulder fell down, landing right on top of the fox-like Pokemon. I sneered in triumph. But for some reason, burying him wasn't good enough. I followed up the attack with one of the biggest Flamethrowers I've ever done to melt the stone and seal him away forever. He could die here for all I care. He was no father to me.

Damn it all. He burst out of the rocks while I was heating them up, backflipping and using the pile as a shield. I stopped my Flamethrower and took the opportunity to use Swords Dance, then used another Flamethrower, this one into the air. "Come on, coward! Face me!" I snarled, dragging my claws across the wall behind me. They left three deep marks in the wall, and sent sparks dancing around my feet.

Kehrimohr leapt up on top of the pile, brandishing his claws. "Not bad, boy. You take after me."

"THAT'S A LIE!" I roared, charging forward and trying to Slash at him. He moved back in time to my attacks, dodging each one with ease. "I'm nothing like you!" I finally connected with him, my claws tearing into his soft belly and sending a spray of blood into both our faces. Now was my chance. I continued my relentless attack, slicing his skin to ribbons with repeated Slashes. Eventually, my arms tired, and I used a Flamethrower to force him back to the wall so I could recuperate.

He slammed against the sheer rock and stood there a while, his head low. Then, I heard him chuckling. He spat a mouthful of blood on the ground in front of him, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Are you so sure?" he asked, voice raspy with fatigue. "Look at you!" he laughed, an insane glimmer in his eyes. "You're ruthless in battle, you have a violent temper, _and_ you even _look_ like me!" He stood to full height, strengthening a Hidden Power between his hands. "You're just like me!" he cackled with a freakish delight, charging forward despite his condition and throwing the attack into my chest.

I thought of what he was implying as the attack slammed into my sternum, forcing any breath I had out of my lungs. He maintained his onslaught, smashing my form apart, striking my arms, my belly, but never my head. After a solid fifteen minutes of attacks, I fell to my knees, bruises forming on every inch of my body if not already there. I may as well have _been_ one giant bruise. I could feel the flame at the end of my tail, so small now, flickering faintly, barely an ember any more.

Ember. What would my mother say if she saw me now? Would she be ashamed of her only son, fighting his father like this? Would she be disappointed that I didn't have the strength to defeat him? Would she be proud that I even made it this far before failing so severely? I truly could not remember the sight of her smile, the sound of her voice, or the warmth of her hugs. What was she even _like_? The name seemed foreign to me, yet as familiar as Spirit's or Victor's.

My companions. I promised them both that, no matter what happened, we'd always be a team. We'd always be the greatest combination. What use was I to them if I failed here? No. Failed wasn't the word. I felt a foreign energy within my chest, begging to be unleashed. I could do it. Slash was no use to me, but this move...

It was decided. I rose my head, a hateful gleam shimmering in my now-watering eyes. "It's your fault," I whispered, "that she's dead." I put both hands on the ground and forced myself to my feet, unable to lift my arms any longer. It didn't matter. I wouldn't need them for this. How I learned it, I didn't care. But this was my last chance. If I couldn't pull this off, I could die here.

The flame at the end of my tail flared up, dancing at the tip. My heart started to beat faster and faster, and the temperature in the room started to gradually increase in heat, at first gradually, then a steeper incline as the attack continued. Heat Wave wasn't a move normally learned by Charmeleon until after evolution, but at the moment I didn't care.

The thought crossed my mind that I always seem to learn things when I need them most. I learned Flamethrower when I was battling a Steelix and losing... horribly. By some miracle of Arceus, I learned the attack _ages_ before I should have. I didn't learn Slash until I was facing a Seismitoad that stole someone's Surf HM. Rock Slide came when I was fighting a very powerful bird Pokemon—Death, to be exact. Now, Heat Wave came when I didn't have much moxie left in me.

A second thought came—I was learning moves either long before I should've or in ways I shouldn't be able to. Rock Slide isn't even in the move pool chart Clefable made for every Pokemon he'd ever encountered and helped to the top level. It was no longer possible to even _learn_ that move anymore. The trait had been rubbed out from generation to generation, and eventually the only Pokemon that could learn it anymore were the ones who learned it from their grandparents. I, of course, had no such things. Or, at least, I'd never met them.

The heat was now almost unbearable, even for me. My vision blacked out from the heat, and I could only see a faint silhouette of the other Pokemon in the room. Was it just me, or was the rock beneath my feet giving way to my weight? It was getting too be much to keep it up any longer. Finally, my tail lowered to its original state, and I passed out.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_There was a volcano erupting behind me; I could feel the heat on my back. I spun around, and there was the silhouette of a Pokemon in front of me. He was pretty big, like a mastiff and a lion crossed, with a flowing, smokey main behind him. He wore a mask that was gold on top, and gray on the bottom. His deep red eyes bored into my soul, and he pawed the ground. Then, he turned away and leapt off toward the volcano, roaring once as he left._

"_Wait! Who are you?" I shouted, running after him. He stopped in front of the volcano, tossed his head, and seemed to wait for me. Before I could catch up, he bounded in and motioned for me to follow._

_My flat feet slapped against the stone path, claws clacking together as I tripped over myself to follow. My breathing grew ragged and labored, and I realized I was shaking with anticipation of what was about to happen. Somehow, it was like I knew what was going on, but had no idea how I knew._

_The tunnel was dark and stuffy, suffocating me with some sort of smoky fog. I started coughing, but tried to stifle it and kept running. Eventually, I reached an open room. The lion creature was gone, and in his place was a monstrous red beast with black patterns all over his body. Behind him, in cages, were my companions, Kyuri, Spirit, Soul, Victor, and Victoria. How did they get here? More importantly, how did this thing get them?_

_A foreign darkness took hold of my heart and I snarled at the beast in a voice not entirely my own. "Let them go," the voice said from my mouth, though it wasn't me who said it. I clicked my claws together and noticed that, instead of black, my scales were a deep violet color, almost a bruised purple. The claws, instead of bleached white, were a cold, silvery blue. Near me was a glassy obsidian stone on the ground. I peered into it and saw, not my normal, blue eyes, but solid crimson orbs, filled with contempt and hate. What happened to me?_

_Whatever. It didn't matter now. My friends needed my help. I glowered at the massive Pokemon in front of me and repeated myself, this time in a darker voice. "LET THEM GO!" It came out a bone-chilling roar, reverberating off the cave walls._

_The Pokemon looked down at me and shook his head. "Young Charmeleon, there is something impossibly wrong with you. You've been corrupted by the Shadow! Get a hold of yourself before you destroy what you hold dear," he urged, curling his hand into a fist._

"_Everything is fine with me. I've never been better!" I hissed with a manic kind of glee, my lips curling into a crazed grin. "I'm the best I've ever felt!" I charged forward, my claws dragging the ground. I wanted to use Slash, but the move came out as a Shadow Claw. When did I learn that? I thought of the moves I knew; they weren't the same as I remembered. Not Slash, Flamethrower, Heat Wave, and Swords Dance. Now, Shadow Claw, Shadow Blitz, Shadow Wave, and Shadow Down. Those weren't even normal Pokemon moves! Well, Shadow Claw, but what were the other three?_

_And what was wrong with me?_

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

When I finally awakened, Kyuri was standing over me, bandaging some of my wounds. Spirit was on her left, nudging my head gently with his nose, and Victor was at her right, using Heal Pulse to help my wounds. My eyes pried themselves open and I looked around. "Kehrimohr?" I asked, a slight growl of contempt to my voice.

"Unconscious," Kyuri replied, tying one of the bandages together. "That Heat Wave attack was too much for him. Good thing I'm a Ground Pokemon, or I would've been on the floor just like you," she joked.

"Victoria and I already have him all tied up and ready to take back to the base," Victor added, his antennae dancing with joy.

Without letting the Cubone finish, I pushed myself up and got to my feet. "Then lets move out," I replied, striding over to the fallen Zoroark, throwing him over my shoulder, and heading for the exit.

_Kill him now_... a voice whispered in my ear. I looked around, a little frantically, for the source of the whisper. My friends seemed a little confused.

"Are you okay?" Victor asked, flying over to me. "Do you want us to carry him?"

_Just kill him. He's dead weight..._ the voice said, more urgently this time.

I gulped, then shook my head. "N-No, I'm okay... I think... Did you guys hear something just now?"

Kyuri stared at me a little funny. "We didn't hear anything. Are you sure you're okay?"

_Say yes,_ the voice hissed. This time, I freaked out, dropping Kehrimohr and getting ready to fight. "Okay, this is kind of ridiculous. I know I heard something just now! You can't tell me you heard _nothing_!" I paused, staring at them all. "You _had_ to have heard something..."

Spirit blinked, an appearance of worry across his features. "Kahrik, we didn't hear anything. You're tired, and just fought a hard battle. How about we carry you b-"

"NO!" I shouted, balling up my fist. "I can walk just fine!"

After a moment, he sighed. "At least let us carry the Zoroark."

I thought, then conceded, taking up my place at the rear so I could think without impeding traffic. Was I going crazy?

_No... you're not going crazy. They can't hear me because I'm in your head._ I audibly gasped as my eyes widened with realization. I guessed I shouldn't talk back to the voice in my head, but I didn't understand how hearing a voice in your head wasn't crazy.

_**Who in the hell are you?**_ I asked it, lowering my gaze to the ground. My friends couldn't know I was going crazy. What would they think? Would they tell Audrey?

The voice chuckled. _My name is not important, Kahrik. Just do as I say. Kill the Zoroark. He is useless to you. It's his fault your mother is dead. If he had stayed and taken care of his family, it wouldn't be broken._

What the hell? **_I don't need a voice in my head. Go away, whoever you are._** Yeah, like that'd work. But it was the first thing that came to mind.

_I won't leave_, the voice replied, _but I will tell you what I am called. They call me... the Shadow..._

**End Chapter 9**

Yeah, Kahrik is hearing voices in his head. So, what was wrong with him in the dream? Who or what is the Shadow? And why does the Shadow want Kehrimohr dead?

Still need OC's!

**Name:** (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)

**Gender:** (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)

**Species:** (What kind of Pokemon is it?)

**Level:** (How experienced is your Pokemon?)

**Personality:** (What is your Pokemon like?)

**Goal:** (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)

**Appearance:** (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)

**History:** (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)

**Moves:** (What moves does your Pokemon have?)

**Alignment:** (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)

**Team:** (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

**Name:** The Shadow

**Gender:** Unknown

**Species:** Unknown

**Level:** Unknown

**Personality:** The Shadow stems from when Lugia was first corrupted by humans. It is the entity that twisted his mind to do evil, so it in turn is evil. Dragged into this world against it's will, the Shadow wants nothing more than to eliminate the main antagonist of its existence-the world

**Goal:** Destroy the world

**Appearance: **Unknown

**History:** The Shadow first made its appearance when humans sought to use Lugia's power to take over the world. However, after the beast of the sea's purification, the Shadow wandered the world, hopping from host to host, all the time searching for a suitable body to inhabit.

**Moves:** Corrupt

**Alignment:** Evil Entity


	10. Return to Paragon Village

I apologize for the snail mail-esque updating lately. I've been a busy little Bibarel lately (pardon the pun). Thank you to Matthew and Almighty for their OC's, though I need more information on Jay and Quill to use them. Also, to Psycro and sandshrew for the comma and main tips. I type fast and think faster, so I'm sorry if my fingers can't keep up with my brain. Either that, or I'm just lazy... probably the second one. Ha!

We left off with Kahrik arguing with a strange voice in his head known only as the Shadow. That will become important later. Just not now. I figured I'd introduce it now so I could have some more conflict in the story, rather than several meetings with legendary Pokemon in dreams. Makes things interesting.

I don't own Pokemon. Damn the bad luck.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 10: Return to Paragon Village**

**Kahrik's POV**

The voice didn't speak again after that. We got back to town a day later than we would've without the dead weight that is my father. Three days and he couldn't recover from a knock out. Would you believe that? What kind of Pokemon can't recover from a knock out after _three freaking days_? Add on top of that the fact that Pokemon don't get weaker as they get older, and he was older than I was. I can recover from fainting in about half an hour. Since he was both older and stronger than me (supposedly), he should've recovered faster... unless of course he's dead. Unlikely, because he talks in his sleep. The guy wouldn't shut up for the entire time. Either he was faking unconsciousness, or he really talks in his sleep.

Talking in your sleep. Really? Wonderful. Goodbye, restful nights. Hello, listening to Dad mumbling about some chick who dumped him ten years ago under a full moon.

As soon as we got back, we stopped by the guild to visit Audrey. She threw a conniption when she saw what condition I was in. I was fine, really. I just had a few cuts and bruises from the battle, that's all. Nothing that would've killed me, and as they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Audrey didn't see it that way. In fact, she never sees injuries my way.

"Oh my Arceus! Kahrik, what have you done to yourself? You're a walking bruise! How many times do I have to tell you to be more careful before you start listening to me? Every time you come back from a mission, or a self-exploring journey, or whatever crap you're up to, you've been beaten to a bloody pulp! Is it too much to ask to be cautious?" She wailed.

Actually, yes. It was too much to ask. "Yes, mother," I growled in response, crossing my arms defiantly.

That only made her angrier. "And then you act like that! Teenagers! One of these days, you're going to get yourself hurt to the point where I won't be able to fix it, and when that happens, don't come crying to me!" After that, she left me alone to tend to Kehrimohr. Good riddance.

While she was up to that, I decided to go talk to Clefable alone. It was quite the chore to get Unfezant to leave the room (as usual, he was being a douche), but after some convincing (which started as simple requests and increased after a while to become verbal threats and brandishing of claws), he left.

Clefable looked at me with the usual warm smile. "What do you need to talk about, Kahrik?" he asked, pouring two teacups of Sitrus Berry Chai before sitting cross-legged on the floor.

I joined him as he lit a stick of incense. "It's about The Great Kehrimohr."

He paused, then took a sip of his chai. "The legendary explorer. I've heard a lot about him, though I've never seen him, until you brought him here. What about him?"

For a moment, I couldn't bring myself to repeat it. I lowered my head and responded in a disdainful snarl, "He's my father." I started tracing circles on the floor with my pointer claw.

The Normal Pokemon looked slightly surprised, but simply sipped his tea and edged the other cup closer to me. I took it up slowly, smelling the sweet steam rising from the hot liquid in the cup. Carefully, I brought the edge of the cup to my lips and drew a small draft of the drink into my mouth, rolling the Moomoo Milk and tea blend over my tongue before sending it down my throat.

"It can't be that bad," Clefable said, opening a nearby box and pulling out two pieces of Perfect Apple Coffee Cake. He handed one of the soft, crumbly pieces to me, and put the other on a small plate in front of him before pouring a Figy Berry sauce over it. Quietly, I set down the cup, took the cake, and took a bite, chewing the piping-hot cake as he continued talking. "The Great Kehrimohr is a powerful battler. I can see by your battle scars that even you had trouble beating him. Take that as a lesson; you're not immortal."

"I already know that, Guildmaster. It's just... he ran away!" I confessed, dropping the piece of cake on a plate and crossing my arms. "My mother was going to have an egg—my egg—and he just ran off!"

"Calm yourself, Kahrik," Clefable replied firmly, but in a sort of fatherly way. "As a Fire Pokemon, you have to learn to control your temper. Only then will you be able to unlock your true potential." He set down his cup and leaned forward. "As for Kehrimohr, perhaps instead of rejecting him, you should get to know him. Find out why he left. Maybe you can even learn something from him."

I frowned and stared at the floor. "I don't want to learn anything from him." _Good_, the voice hissed in my ear. That reminded me of what I really wanted to ask Clefable. "Guildmaster... is it normal for Pokemon to hear voices _in_ their heads? Voices that call themselves the Shadow?"

Perhaps I should've waited until _after_ he swallowed his food. Almost right away, he started choking on his cake. Panicking, I jumped up and got behind him, smacking his back with an open hand. Unfortunately, Unfezant heard the commotion and came in to see me trying to use the Heimlich on Clefable.

He squawked and flew over, slamming his head into Clefable's gut. The chunk of cake flew out of the guildmaster's mouth, splattering all over the wall. I grimaced. Alicia, our Altaria cleaning lady, wasn't going to appreciate that.

Unfezant strode over me and held out his wings, trying (and failing) to seem intimidating. "What did you do to the Guildmaster?" he shrieked, flapping his wings.

Clefable came to my rescue. "Unfezant, it's fine. He just caught me off guard with something he asked," he told the bird. There was a moment of silence between them before he spoke again. "Do you remember the stories they used to tell us about the Shadow?"

The Flying Pokemon stared at him. "That old ghost story? Yes I do."

"Would you tell Kahrik the story?" Clefable asked the bird.

He grimaced, then lowered his head. "I guess." I sat down with my legs crossed. Unfezant turned to me and looked down at me like he was telling me a story. Well, I suppose I was being told a story, wasn't I? "The Shadow is supposed to be a monster. He creeps into your mind and twists your thoughts, planting ideas into your head that normally wouldn't be there. There has only been one recorded time that the Shadow has actually corrupted a Pokemon almost to the point of no return. That Pokemon was the legendary Lugia. Humans built a machine that would amplify the Darkness inside him and give the Shadow enough power to turn him into a Shadow Pokemon. They captured him and used the machine on him, transforming him into Shadow Lugia. Since then, Pokemon have lived in fear of those humans coming back, taking them away, and turning them into Shadow Pokemon. Before that event, most believed it was just a scary story to get little baby Pokemon to go to bed."

By the time he finished, I wanted to throw up. Without a word, I got up and left the room, my tea unfinished, the cake still on the plate. I ignored my teammates and went outside for a breath of fresh air.

I walked by myself all the way back to our base and sat down on the edge of the pool, staring at the Gorebyss and Huntail that lived there with their Clamperl babies at the bottom, feeding on algae. I lowered my feet into the water and nudged one of their shells with my foreclaw. The young Clamperl—a girl, I think—turned to me and cooed softly. Then, it swam (I have no idea how) away. I looked up and frowned. Was I going... evil?

No! Not me. I wasn't a bad Pokemon. I _couldn't_ be a bad Pokemon. Team Ragnarok are bad Pokemon, not me. I was a hero. My mother raised me with good intentions. She taught me how to be a good Pokemon, no matter what happened. Disregarding what she told me would be disrespecting her memory.

_You know you don't want him around,_ the voice hissed, sending a shiver down my spine. _You could kill him and any Pokemon in your way easily. One well-aimed Flamethrower; that's all it would take._

I shook my head and put my hands over my ears. _**Get out of my head!**_ I snarled in response, squeezing my eyes shut. **_I don't want you here!_**

_I won't leave,_ the voice replied, then faded away.

My stomach was churning. I got up from my spot next to the pool, ran over to the bushes, and opened my mouth, only to have a mouthful of some sort of black fire-bile drip from my jaw to the ground. It stung my tongue and killed the grass it fell on, leaving a bald patch of dirt in its wake. With a grimace, I clutched my belly and stood up, rolling my tongue across the roof of my mouth to wipe of the fire-bile. Just as campfires need wood, fire-bile helps fuel the fire of all Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard. Once in a while, though, we can't hold it in due to excess or extreme nausea, and we hack it up. Sucks to be whatever plant is in the way of some good old silicon dioxide (sand for you non-geeks). The fire-bile is highly toxic, even at the early Charmander stage, before they learn Ember. It's not fully developed, but it's still volatile as a chemical. In fact, some scientists use it instead of methane for Bunsen Burners. Not sure why. If they can get fire-bile from a Charmander, or one of its evolutions, they have to be close enough for the Pokemon to trust them, in which case they could just use the fire at the end of the tail.

Whatever.

After that, I stumbled into our base, still feeling a little ill. Was the room spinning? I didn't know. I staggered over to the rock that was my chair and slumped down, tail held to the side, and rested my chin on the table. I still wanted to throw up. Now my head was starting to throb.

What brought all this on? I was fine only moments ago. I've gone through more strenuous things before, but I must say, I hadn't had so much information dropped on me in one day. First, I rescue my dead-beat father, then I start hearing a voice in my head, only to find out later that the voice is apparently an ancient evil that turns Pokemon into Shadow Pokemon, soldiers of darkness. Not only did I find out my father wasn't just a young Dragon Pokemon that ran away, but a cowardly, powerful Pokemon that should've been there for me while I was growing up, and for my mother too.

I felt a tear begin to form in my eye, stinging, then rolling down my scaly cheek. It wasn't fair. My life was great, and there was nothing wrong. Nothing until I met Team Omega. Then, things just went into a nosedive, and I'd been going through hell ever since. Hell!

_That's right,_ the voice snarled. _It's their fault. Your life was perfect until they came along and asked for your help. You could punish them. What could they do? A Cubone, a Turtwig, and an Ekans. They couldn't stand up to your power._

I was so tired and bilious that I didn't argue. I knew the voice was wrong about me, and I couldn't let him take hold, but... I didn't want to say anything. I just wanted to sleep. Just... wanted to...

All I remember was a metallic call from someone entering the room. Was it someone I knew? The room was whirling around my head. A second tear rolled down my cheek, and I blacked out.

**End Chapter 10**

Another chapter that didn't bring any new questions, really. 'Cept one, I guess. What's wrong with Kahrik? Well, I can't tell you. If I told you, it wouldn't be a question, would it?

Still need OC's. Since no important characters have been introduced in this chapter (there will be one in the next chapter), I'm not going to paste the character form again. It's in the last... 9 chapters... except for one, I think... Whatev.

Review, you ungrateful 'tards! I slave away, working my tail off to give you masterpieces, and only six of you are reviewing? _You _do_ know you don't need an account to review, right?_


	11. A Message from Entei?

So, we left off where Kahrik was feeling extremely ill with seemingly no cause. Someone came into the base and found him, but who? That's going to be answered here.

Just to warn you, a chunk of this chapter is complete, utter filler. I feel like I took a Snickers bar and jet-puffed the cookie inside it, removed the peanuts and caramel, and turned it into a 3 Musketeers. But it was inescapable. A time skip would've made shit that didn't connect, so I couldn't avoid it. Believe me. I tried.

I extend a thanks to Anazuma for Arath the Abra. I will work him in... somewhere!

I don't own Pokemon. If I did, this would actually be in production... probably.

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare**

**Chapter 11: A Message from Entei?**

**Kahrik's POV**

When I came to, Spirit, Victor, Kyuri, and the Lairon from the bank were all standing over me. They were staring at me like I'd just come out of a coma. Slowly, I sat up and found that my muscles were all cramped and achy. I brought a hand up to my face and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

The Lairon (I think he said his name was Vindico) stomped over and frowned. "I came to ask you if you were quite alright. I saw you puke some black stuff that killed that patch of grass. It's a good thing I did, too. I walked in and you were passed out on the floor. You were writhing in pain while you slept."

Spirit looked troubled. "Black stuff? Oh, no. You didn't yak up your fire-bile again, did you?" He used his tail to turn my face towards his. "Don't tell me you did that _again_."

Ignoring his question, I forced myself to my feet and cracked my back. "How long have I been out?" I grumbled, rubbing my head.

"Three days!" Kyuri screamed, smacking my gut with her club. I doubled over, clutched my belly, and fell to my knees again. "Thanks for the heart attack, jerk!"

"Oh, yeah, because it was totally a prank I thought of, just kind of spur of the moment! _Hey, how about I cough up something important to my existence and then pass out after going off on my own! That's a great idea! I'll do that!_" I snarled sarcastically, standing up quickly and smacking her across the room with a heavy blow from my tail. "I never joke around!"

I made to move forward and continue my assault, but Spirit stopped me with his tail. "Kahrik, this isn't like you," he whispered, genuine concern in his voice. "Something is wrong."

For a moment, I just stared at him, no emotion in my expression. Then, I closed my eyes, sighed, and backed off, glowering at the ground. "Whatever," I grumbled.

The Dragonair lowered his tail and shook his head, but said nothing more. Victor flew up and landed on my shoulder. "You need to be more careful. What made you cough up your bile?"

Obviously, I didn't have an answer. I waved him off and walked over to the water basin, dunking my head in and taking a long draft of the ice-cold water. Normally, I'd prefer to heat it to boiling before drinking it, but now I didn't care. The chilling liquid hit my stomach like a kick in the gut, churning with the steaming acid inside my stomach until it was heated to a neutral temperature for me. When I pulled my head out of the basin, they were all staring at me. I shook the water off, turned around and strolled over, turning my chair to them, and slumping down.

"Okay, something is _definitely_ wrong with you," Victor said, shaking his head. "Since when do you drink anything cold?"

I didn't feel like answering any questions. My stomach was still hurting, and my throat felt rather scratchy, even though I just had a long drink of water. Slowly, I lowered my head, resting my hands on my stomach. "I just need to sleep a while. I'll be fine."

"But-" Victor began. A quick, venomous glare courtesy of yours truly shut him up. He motioned with his head for the others to follow, and they left me and Spirit alone.

The Dragonair slithered over and put his tail around my shoulders. "Kahrik, you're going to end up killing yourself. I realize you're upset about the whole Kehrimohr thing-"

"Don't even mention his name," I growled, turning my head away.

Spirit persisted. "-but it's no reason to give your life. Yes, your father was in hiding. Yes, he was a low-down runaway that didn't have the balls to deal with his responsibility." I chuckled at that. "But that doesn't mean you're going to be the same. Let Kehrimohr be Kehrimohr. Make Kahrik be Kahrik. You can't be anyone but yourself." With that, he left the room.

After a while of silence, I got to my feet and shuffled into the bedroom, flopping down on my bed. I shifted my tail so it wouldn't catch the bed on fire and set about falling asleep. It didn't take long.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_The volcano. An eruption, and loud roar from behind me at the same time. The legend rang in my ears._

"_It is said that when the Legendary Beast of the Flames runs, the very earth shifts. When he roars, the volcanoes echo his cry." My mother told me that bedtime story probably a thousand times. I always wanted to hear about Legendary Pokemon. The legendary birds and beasts. The Pokemon charged with their control. The creatures of stone, ice, and steel. The eon twins. The dragons of creation. The lords of earth, water, and sky. The two from the one. I knew all the tales by heart. But only one matched that description._

"_Entei," I hissed, turning on my heels to face him. He was like a large, well-built mastiff hound, his fur a deep brown color. His powerful paws were snow white, despite always running around the earth. He had a pointed mask, gold on top, bright red on the sides, and silver on the bottom. His white muzzle stuck out under the mask, parted between the gold and red to reveal his piercing eyes. The spikes on either side of his back were gray as well, as was the billowing cloud of smoke that issued from the back of his neck to form a mane. Each leg had an obsidian cuff just above the ankle. His presence commanded respect._

"_Kahrik, I have come to give you advice. Abandon the path you are on." Like hell. "This will only lead to your eventual destruction." Good. Now I have something to look forward to. "Your very sanity will crack, and you will succumb the beast within you."_

_I clenched my fists. "Arceus damn me if I'll change my ways. I'm a hero. I've always been a hero. And damn it, I'm going to die a hero, in a blaze of glory. I'll give my life if it means protecting the ones I call friends."_

_This didn't sit too well with the legendary beast. He stomped on the ground and roared again, setting off another volcano. "I'm trying to save you! Look at yourself!" he snarled, sliding a mirror over to me._

_I continued glaring, but looked down at the piece of glass. I looked like I did in my dream with Groudon, bruised purple with a silvery blue underbelly and hateful, blood-red eyes. For a moment, I was silent. This was what I would become? "If this is what must be..." I began, flexing and unflexing my claws, "if this is what I must do to save those I love..." I glowered at the other Pokemon. Without another thought, I took a deep breath and fired a Shadow Wave at him, sending him flying backward._

_So be it._

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

I woke up to screaming, and my eyes snapped open. I jumped up out of bed and ran outside. "What the hell?" I growled, looking around. A crack was opened in the ground, and all my friends were clasping the sides, trying desperately to stay out of the dark depths below. All but Spirit and Victor. They were nowhere to be seen.

Of course. Spirit had no hands to speak of. Not yet, anyway. He must've already been deep in the crevice. Victor must have tried to save him and quickly found that the Dragon Pokemon was too heavy for him to handle.

Then, I saw the last thing I could've possibly wanted to see. There, in the crevice, were a pair of golden eyes, surrounded and accented by glowing crimson lines. It had to be Groudon doing this. No other Pokemon could create a crack in the earth like this with so little effort.

His voice rang in my ears. "I AM TAKING YOUR FRIENDS TO MY LAIR!" he bellowed, his claws wrapping around the edges of the crevice. "PERHAPS THERE, THEY WILL BE SAFE FROM YOUR RECKLESSNESS!" With that, he slammed the opening shut, taking Spirit, Victor, Kyuri, Soul, and Victoria with him.

Groudon. That son of a bitch! The voice was whispering in my ear again. _How dare he take your friends without a reason? You've done nothing wrong,_ it hissed. For once, I agreed with it. It didn't make any damn sense. Why the hell did he think it was fitting to take my friends? What recklessness?

_**You're right for once, voice.**_ I responded, staring at my claws.

_I can lend you my power for your vengeance,_ it cooed, stretching its control over my arm. As it did, the arm turned that same dark violet color, and the claws morphed to solid gold. To test it, I slashed a nearby tree with as little effort as possible. The tree buckled, the bark shattered, and the tree fell back. If that was holding back, what could my full potential become?

_**Such power...**_

_Yes, I know. Would you like to use it to its full extent? You need only let me spread to every inch of your body, _the voice hissed, retreating from my arm. _Together, we can destroy Groudon. He'll never touch your companions again._

Before I could protest, it forced its way to the rest of my body. As it did, starting from my heart and working its way out, things changed. My belly became the same silvery blue as Shadow Lugia's. My black scales turned violet, shadowy, and dark. The rest of my claws became that same regal, deadly golden color. The flame at the tip of my tail flared from blue to jet-black. Finally, I felt that dark strength stretch up to my neck and down my muzzle, ending at my nose.

Slowly, I walked over to the water and looked down. Despite the whole 'evil' motif, I looked like I was about to 'bust a cap', as the humans would've put it in the stories. I narrowed my now crimson eyes. The voice spoke in unison with my own thoughts, forming an eerie double-growl.

_Together, we will win._

**End Chapter 11**

I couldn't time-skip this time. If I time-skipped, you'd all be thinking 'Hey, when the hell did Kahrik go Shadow Charmeleon/Chuck Norris mode?'

Okay, so questions. Why the crap did Groudon deem it vital to take Kahrik's friends? Why the crap does Entei want Kahrik to just step back and let time flow as it wants? And when the hell did Spirit become Kahrik's Yoda?

Okay, the third one was just for the sake of having a third question, but whatever. You know what I mean.

And before you review, I'm going to say it. That part with Groudon in this chapter was utter shit. But I couldn't come up with anything better. I shall explain away the shittiness of it in the next installment.

Coming Soon! Chapter 12: Dusk Volcano! In which there will be another fight scene! Yay epic recovery! *considers making that a Dragon Ball Z-style fight scene* No, I better not do that. I won't get to the next part for another five chapters. XD You know its true, Diablo!

**Still. Need. Evil. Team. Members.**


	12. Dusk Volcano

Last time, some serious shit went down that really didn't have a better explanation then 'because I said so'. Kahrik was off to save his friends from the clutches of Groudon.

Yeesh... plot hole. Wait... *flashback to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, in which Zapdos Pokenaps Shiftry for no apparent reason other than just because* ...This seems oddly familiar...

Anyhow, this chapter will be... better! You know why? Because it's influenced by guacamole! *noms on a Ritz cracker dipped in guacamole* Okay, need to be serious now.

I don't own Pokemon... Fuck.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare

**Chapter 12: Dusk Volcano**

**Kahrik's POV**

As a Shadow Charmeleon, my speed was increased by quite a lot. Before I knew it, I was hauling ass to the mountain Groudon was known to dwell in, trampling anything in my path. Sorry, numerous Grass Pokemon, but my companions need me. You'll grow back. I promise.

Surprisingly, though, I never ran out of breath, or felt fatigued. Running across thousands of miles of rugged terrain, you'd think my feet would start throbbing, my heart would be racing, and my breath would come in short, ragged gasps, courtesy of exhaustion. Maybe it was the Shadow, or maybe it was the greatest adrenaline rush I'd ever felt. Either way, I didn't give a damn. Groudon had my friends, and I had to rescue them.

I couldn't take my mind off it. No, that's a lie. I couldn't take my mind of Groudon. I was more going to exact revenge on the legendary Continent Pokemon than to save my team.

Spirit. If he saw me now, he'd tell me I was going to kill myself... again. He'd saved me from a lot of pickles concerning Water Pokemon, and I considered him my older brother, the one that went off into the army a brother and came back a man. He may as well have been. He was the father I never had. Always there for me, giving good advice when I needed it, and never angry with me if I messed up. Together, my strength and his wisdom, we were the dynamic duo. We could do anything.

Victor. He was more for complaining and comic relief, but he had his strong points. He was loyal, brave when necessary, and always ready to follow me into the unknown. He was the younger brother, the one who wants to be just like the older kids in the family. Or maybe he was the family pet. Probably a dog.

Then, there was that new team that I would save in the process, Team Omega. For some reason, I didn't really care about them. It wasn't that I hated them; I didn't. I guess they were still just another team in my eyes.

Kyuri. The annoying, spoiled brat of the group. You wouldn't think the Lonely Pokemon would have such a big mouth. She's like a child: always talking, never thinking, don't know what to do. A thorn in my side. I guess if she were in the family, she'd be the little sister, the one that Raticates you out at every turn, whether you were doing something bad or no, and always has to have things her way.

Soul. Boisterous, pompous snake. Well, she _was_ an Ekans. She'd be the oldest sister, full of herself and ignorant of others. Makeup, boys, dating. A stereotypical girl. The thought of her left a bitter taste in my mouth, but the way Spirit talked, she was Arceus' gift to men. Gag.

Victoria. She was the one I liked. Timid, quiet, keeps to herself. The kind of person it'd be easy to hang out with, even though she was a Grass Pokemon. I liked her a lot more than her leader. She'd be the middle sister, the one that gets mostly ignored and gave up on getting attention. Most likely to have a good future.

I reached the outskirts of my destination: the Scorched Valley, the place where I was born. Still, the grass crackled under my feet, despite having been so long since the fire that destroyed the area, years before my great-grandmother was even thought of. Sturdy Fire and Rock Pokemon still inhabited the area, but I was too well known to have to worry about it. There weren't any truly evil Pokemon here except for the rogues that dwelled in Dusk Volcano, the source of the fire.

Years ago, when Entei was insulted by the humans that once lived here, he caused the volcano to erupt in order to chase them out. In the following fire, the entire area was charred to the ground, leaving only dust and ash behind. The few humans lucky enough to evade the fire were taken down by Entei himself. The fire dog was known for his ferocity and ruthlessness. It took many years for even Pokemon that were Fire-type to muster the courage to go back to their home, and even then it was because Moltres issued forth from her volcano and came to soothe the savage Pokemon. After a battle that raged for a month, unthought of for any Pokemon but a legendary, Moltres, battered and bruised, emerged the victor, and forced the beast to behave like a true legendary Fire Pokemon: with regal dignity.

That's why I've always liked Moltres: the woman knows what she's doing.

I'm lucky none of the Pokemon here knew me. All the friends and neighbors I had were destroyed by Team Ragnarok in the raid when I was a baby.

It's rather depressing to think of all the Pokemon I knew that are now dead because of four damn Pokemon. War... Famine... Pestilence... Death... bastards. Countless souls fell that day, and I could do nothing about it. I was too young, too weak, and couldn't do anything about it, even though at the time, Team Ragnarok was Murkrow, Nuzleaf, Houndour, and Corpish. It's been longer than it seems.

This was no time to be thinking of the past. I took a shuddering breath and strode forward, ready to face Groudon. I didn't expect to be stopped by the very Pokemon that visited me the day before, in my dreams.

Entei charged forward from the volcano, angry as shit. He bounded on and landed in front of me, narrowing his eyes at me. "Why do you ignore what I told you? Groudon is far too much for you to handle, even in this corrupted form."

Too much for me to handle? "Listen, pal, I don't give a flying Muk what you have to say. I have friends to save." _And a legendary Pokemon to crush into the dust,_ the voice hissed in addition.

"You go to your doom," the Pokemon snarled in response, shaking his head. "Cease this suicidal escapade."

Like hell. "Get out of my way, you oversized mutt!" I snarled, digging a Shadow Claw into his side and throwing him out of the way. He slammed into a boulder and lay there for a while. Passing him off as unconscious, I continued on my way.

Boy oh boy, was I wrong. The next thing I know, I'm knocked to the ground with a huge beast on top of me, raking his claws across my back. Acting on instinct, I slammed my hands into the ground and forced myself to my knees as fast as I could, throwing him off. I got up and spun around, ready to take him down. "Wrong choice, mutt!" I snarled, charging forward and slamming another Shadow Claw into his gut.

Entei went flying up into the air, and I took a deep breath and shot a Shadow Wave after him, a dark violet Flamethrower. There was a definite evil to the attack, and I felt a little woozy after using it. Maybe because it wasn't normally my move.

When the legendary beast landed and got to his feet, he shook his head. "Stop using those attacks! The more you use them, the more it takes hold!"

It? "What the hell are you talking about?" I growled, hunching over to help focus myself.

"The Shadow, boy! Every attack you use that isn't a normal Pokemon move will help the Shadow take hold of your mind! They weaken you! Can't you feel the drain in your power?" Entei shouted, running forward and knocking me on my back. "Stop using them before you lose yourself!"

Lose myself? "How could I lose myself?" I kicked him off, rolling over and getting to my feet.

"It's happened before," Entei replied, lowering his attack stance and slowly walking over. "It happened to me. It took three years and a long battle with Moltres to bring me to my senses."

Now he had my attention. I could hear the voice screaming inside my head not to listen to anything he said. _He's just trying to stop you from going after Groudon!_ I ignored it. "The eruption..."

"Yes. I was infuriated by the humans. I let the Shadow take hold. When the volcano erupted, I lost control. I raged. I killed. I wouldn't let anyone come to the valley," he confessed, lowering his head slightly. "If it weren't for Moltres, I would probably still be corrupt." Then, he looked at me pleadingly. "In a way, it's my fault you're corrupted. Please, Kahrik. Listen to what I'm telling you. Calm yourself, then go after Groudon."

"If I wait, my friends might not be there anymore. I don't trust the Continent Pokemon." I replied, staring at the ground.

"If you don't wait, your friends won't have a sensible companion to trust," he countered, lifting my head with his paw. "I feel a tie to you, Kahrik. We are both known as the Flame Pokemon, and we both have responsibilities. You and your evolved form, Charizard, are known for their power, and at the same time their sensibility. Don't let one incident turn you into a Gyarados. They're primitive, and unintelligible. Become the man you can be."

Suddenly, this conversation went from discussing the Shadow to a pep talk. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but I rolled with it. I could feel the nausea leaving me, and I could think more clearly. The Shadow's voice was less pronounced, even groggy. Was he weakened, or was I stronger? I was wasting time, though. "I have to go. Spirit and Victor need me."

"What of Kyuri?" Entei began. "You and she are-"

"No time!" I barked, running toward the volcano. "I have to get them back!"

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

Dusk Volcano. It was the dark mountain known for the eruption all those years ago, chasing the humans out in flame. Entei hid there for three years, and now Groudon had taken up residence there in stead of the Magma Crater, destroyed by earthquakes he himself triggered. Damned fool.

It didn't take long to reach the pinnacle, where the Ground legendary was hiding with my friends in stone cages. I strode into the room, the flame at the tip of my tail flaring with fury. There they were, pinned to the wall in small, stone cells. Most of the room, however, was a field of magma, with no standing spots to be seen. It was shallow, but it was a terror for most Pokemon, especially Victoria, who was at the moment whimpering and cuddling up to Kyuri. "GROUDON!" I roared at the top of my lungs, allowing the Shadow to assist a bit.

The monster's head rose slowly from the magma until only the top half of his head was visible. There was a deep rumble, and he crawled out of the magma, standing on top of it. "SO YOU CAME," he growled softly, though it seemed more like a snarl than a mumble.

"You're damn right, I came!" I barked in response, balling up my fists and stepping out onto the magma. It came up to my knees, but didn't hurt much. Nothing notable. I almost snickered when Victoria fainted and fell into Kyuri's lap.

Groudon eyed me for a moment, then roared at the ceiling. "YOU'VE ALLOWED THE SHADOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I REMOVED YOUR FRIENDS FROM YOUR PRESENCE!"

"Cut the crap!" I shouted, the fire at the end of my tail flaring up. "I don't care if you took my friends for a tea party! You're going down!"

Everything after that was like I was an extra in the greatest action movie of all time, except I could've been the leading actor. My limbs moved without me ordering them as the Shadow took full control over my body. Seldom was I asked for guidance, and even less so was I even noticed. Shadow Wave. A kick to the gut. Shadow Claw across the snout. Smack him in the face with a tail. Dodge an Earthquake here, a Fire Blast there. Duck under a Solarbeam and hit him with another Shadow Wave. I didn't get to do any of it. I was trapped in my own mind.

A stray attack must have hit one of the cages, because Kyuri escaped and was freeing her companions by the time Groudon even started to become a contender in this battle. A downward Slash from the legendary Pokemon nearly cleaved my body in half. The Shadow made me jump out of the way just seconds late, so the attack sliced my face and gave me a nice scar over my right eye. Finally, I could take a little control, as the Shadow was occupied with numbing the pain. Blinking the oozing blood from my vision, I set my sights on Groudon's eyes. If you can't see, you can't fight. As fast as my legs would carry me, I charged up the side of the cave we were in, ninja style, and jumped through the air—what a dumb phrase... what else would you jump through?—onto the legendary Pokemon's back.

As soon as my claws hit the hard shell-like features on his back, he snarled and tried to throw me off, twisting this way and that, jumping up and down, submerging himself in the magma, even going as far as to try and reach me back there. Quite funny, considering both his arm size and shoulder placement. He couldn't get me if he had a ten foot pole in one of his hands; those arms were microscopic. Subconsciously, I wondered if he was related in any way to the TyraniTauros Rex I learned about in school when I was level nine. Then, I scrambled up to his head, where he had double the problems trying to get me off.

Without really thinking about what would happen when I did, I hit one eye in the center with the flame on my tail, and fired a Shadow Wave at the other. Together, they melted both eyes I think. I couldn't hold on long enough to find out. As my assault found its target, Groudon roared to the heavens and started thrashing around, eventually throwing me off and into the magma. He fell forward, managing to bring his arms up to cover his singed eyelids.

"MY EYES!" Groudon whimpered, shaking his head. "I CAN'T SEE!"

The Shadow was back in control, and he made me walk over to my defeated quarry. What was he doing? Using all my strength, he made my arms flip the legendary Pokemon on his back and climb up to where I could reach his throat. The Shadow didn't plan on _killing_ him, did he? Groudon could do no more harm to me or my friends. Besides, killing a Legend Pokemon was a capital offense, just as bad as killing any other Pokemon if not worse. It was a widely-known law, so you would think he wouldn't dare.

But, as he used my arm to bring a Shadow Claw close to Groudon's carotid artery, I judged how mistaken I was. I begged him to stop, tried to seize control of my arm once more, but to no avail. A cold, desolate truth sank in, possibly hours late.

The Shadow was out to ruin my life, not help me.

Summoning all my willpower, I tried to fight it. I squeezed my eyes shut, shook my head, and pulled as hard as I could to get my arm back. Just my arm would be enough. Hell, just my hand. If I could get control of my hand, I could shut down the move. I could back out of it, and then work my way toward gaining full control. _**Stop this!**_ I shouted in my own head. Nothing but the echo responded.

I tried again, and again, and again, and each time, spanning such a short time, I was denied. Apparently it was working though, because several minutes passed by with nothing happening, other than what appeared to others to be a mental breakdown.

The voices around me seemed distant. Someone called my name, tried to get my attention. Was it Kyuri? Groudon shifted under my feet, but did not move me. He was probably nervous that any sudden movement would make me dig in my claws, now pressed to his neck.

_Let me kill him..._ the voice whispered in my ear. _What has he done to you to deserve your graces?_ Every S and C came out a low hiss, like air escaping tires.

_**Kill a Legendary Pokemon? Never! **_I replied, finally gaining control of my hand long enough to short out the attack. I bent my wrist so the claws were no longer against his artery, and fought back to get the rest of my body.

I didn't have the time. The next thing I know, something bulky and heavy slammed into my right temple, and I blacked out.

^..^ ^..^ ^..^

_It was muggy and humid, wherever I was. There were tall, thick trees all around me, and I could see no signs of sunlight. Vines hung down from branches above me, some thin, some wider. I could hear several chimp Pokemon chattering in the distance. But I was alone. Again, no Spirit, no Victor. Since I couldn't go back, I strode deeper into the jungle, trying to find any answer I could._

_After what felt like an hour of walking, I came across a clearing with a large wooden shrine with a stone slab in front of it. On the slab, in footprint runes, read "Time is a school, a teacher, a rule. As everyone knows, though, rules are made to be broken." Under that was a prophecy of the Time Gears. No big deal. Team Reptilia stopped that threat years ago with Grovyle._

_I turned the slab around. On the other side was simply a Tai-chi sign, and under that was written "Heart of Flame, Will of Earth". On the white side of the sign, instead of a black spot in the center, there was a small, obsidian gem, with a dark blue tint to it. On the other side, however, there was no such gem: only a hole where it would've been._

_After a while, I stood up, and scratched my head. Someone behind me through a rock at me and giggled. I clasped the back of my head, felt the bump, and spun around, ready to fight whoever did it. When I looked, all I saw was a little Bonsly, bending down to pick up the rock. It was shiny, and snow-white. Diamond, it had to have been. Thinking fast, I snatched the gem and gave him a Chople Berry from a nearby tree that was about the same size. The small rock tree thing was disappointed for a moment, then champed away on the berry and ran off._

_I sighed, then stared at the gem. It wasn't a normal gem, for in the center was what looked like a tiny, silver ball. Shrugging it off, I knelt down and pressed the gem into the indent in the rock. Almost immediately, the ground around me started to shake as the earth beneath the shrine split and revealed a spiraling staircase. Once the tremors ceased, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled under the shrine, then made my way down the stairs._

_The room underneath somehow looked familiar. It was dark, but cool and damp, like it would be right behind a waterfall. There was a huge pool of water in the center with what looked like koi fish swimming around in the center. I eased my way across the wet floor, trying not to slip and disturb the fish. There was a whispering sound, a little sweet to listen to, like an ocarina. Then, the laughter of a small child. I looked around, a little startled, but there was no one there. The laughter again._

"_Silly little Charmeleon, you're looking in all the wrong places!" the voice giggled, both immature and sweet at the same time. I turned my head in the direction of the voice. Floating above the water was a small, pink Pokemon with a long tail and big feet. She flew over (well, hovered actually) and stared at me with huge, blue eyes. "You were searching for something that was right in front of you!" She snickered, covering her mouth with both hands as she did._

_A little confused, I took a step back to look at her. She was small and pudgy, yet agile and light. Her tail flicked back and forth, like a cat's. Well, not really a cat. Probably more like a kitten. Her vast, blue eyes were like the water—cool, limpid. It took me a moment to remember the name. Supposedly, all Pokemon came from her DNA. "Mew..."_

"_Uh-huh!" she shouted, flipping around in the air. "I'm Mew! I sure am!" After a while of watching her aerobatics, she hovered down so she was eye-to-eye with me again. "But why are you here? This is my dream, not yours."_

_That was weird. I blinked and stared at her. "No. This is my dream."_

_She looked at her hand, then shrugged. "Then we must be supposed to meet. Because this isn't my house. I don't live underground. I live in a lake."_

_After a while, we sat down to wait. She took to playing with a rock. I started watching the koi swim around and around, chasing each other in an endless circle. I started to notice things about them. One was a dark orange, and the other was an earthy brown. The dark orange one had a white spot on the top of his head, and he seemed to swim slightly faster. The earthy brown one had an identical spot, but seemed a bit more leisurely. For some reason, I felt drawn to the dark orange koi._

"_You know what those koi stand for, right?" Mew suddenly asked, noticing my interest in the fish. "They symbolize an eternal balance. The orange one, Yang, stands for heaven, heat, and light. The brown one, Yin, stands for earth, dark, and cold. They used to be real Pokemon. Wanna hear the story?"_

_I glanced at her, then turned my attention back to the fish. "Sure. It'll pass some time."_

_Mew nodded, then closed her eyes. "A long time ago, the world was in constant turmoil. Pokemon waged war against each other, often with humans as the cause. The 'trainers', as the humans called themselves, would capture Pokemon and force them to fight to settle their differences. This would often result in the death of Pokemon, and others suffered. Arceus watched in silence for years, always in tears. It was terrible to see him like that. Finally, there came a last battle, a war to end all wars. The trainers that wanted only land-based Pokemon, the ones that wanted air-based Pokemon, and the ones that wanted sea-based Pokemon built vast armies of Pokemon and were ready to fight to the death. In his solitude, Arceus refused to reveal himself, saying that showing them a Pokemon as powerful as he was would only create more war. But then, three Pokemon—one from each faction—rose up and tried to stop the fighting. A Marowak, a Charizard, and Manaphy himself. They stood against the fighting, and refused to back down. However, the humans would not listen. One of them, from the land-based group, ordered his Pokemon to attack all three of them. Reluctantly, the Pokemon obeyed, and attacked Manaphy first. To protect the legendary Pokemon, Marowak and Charizard formed a shield with their bodies. The attack was too much for them, and they fell, weakened and injured. Their sacrifice told the trainers that their Pokemon didn't have to be at battle to continue. They called off the war and went their separate ways._

"_Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Marowak and Charizard. Both of them received serious injuries, and had no chance of recovery. Manaphy tried to help them, but he just didn't have the power. That's when Arceus stepped in. He had watched the entire thing, and was touched by their plight. Using all his power, he turned the area that was once a dry, barren war zone into the lush forest above us. Then, he made this place, and turned them into the koi fish in front of you. Manaphy called forth his aquatic friends and they filled the pool with the cleanest water in the world. Once they were out, Arceus sealed this place forever and marked it with the shrine in their honor, though all of the writing was in footprint runes so the humans would not find and desecrate this place. He even made the slab to mark it." She looked at me and smiled. "Wasn't that nice?"_

_I watched the flame at the end of my tail flickering slightly, and I realized why I was drawn to that koi. There was a sort of kinship between us. We were both of the same line._

_There was silence for a while, then Mew looked at me. "I don't think anyone's coming. It was nice meeting you, though. I'm sure Kyuri will be interested in that story too."_

_Before I could respond, she was gone. How did she know Kyuri?_

_^..^ ^..^ ^..^_

"He's waking up."

"Careful. He's a dangerous one."

"Make sure those ropes are tight."

When I finally woke up, I found that my hands were tied behind my back. My teammates were staring at me like I was some sort of monster, and Officer Magnezone was floating near me, as were Deputies Magnemite and Magneton. I shook my head and got to my feet, a little sore. "What happened?" I asked, the question directed at Spirit.

"Kahrik, don't be angry. It's a necessary precaution," the Dragonair replied, backing away. "You're not the same."

I laughed a little and shook my head. "What? What are you talking abo-" I frowned when I remembered what happened. "The volcano..." I muttered. I took a step forward, pulling against the ropes that Magneton was holding. "Spirit, you know that wasn't me in control. You _know_ me. Tell them the truth!"

He lowered his head. "Kahrik, you need help."

I couldn't believe what was happening. I turned to Victor. "Victor, talk some sense into him. You guys _know _I'm not like that. You _know_!"

He, too, turned away. "Spirit's right, Kahrik. You're out of control."

My own friends were letting them take me away. "Victor... Spirit..." I followed what I knew best; my instinct. I pulled against the ropes, tearing my hands free and digging them into the ground. My tail twisted behind me, the flames rising with my emotional distress.

Officer Magnezone started to panic. "Get him! Make sure he doesn't escape!" I moved fast. I turned around and released a Flamethrower, silencing them. Then, I turned to my friends and glowered at them, rage building inside.

"You _know_ I'm not like that... and you refuse to say anything?" _I told you so_, the voice whispered in my head. I grabbed my head and snarled, aiming my mouth at the ground. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I roared, turning and running away as fast as my legs would carry me.

_You can't escape me. I'm INSIDE you, Kahrik. You can't escape yourself,_ the voice laughed.

He was right. The voice was inside me, and I couldn't escape the confines of my own mind. There was only one way out, but before I did that I had some unfinished business to attend to. But for now, I had to keep moving. My friends no longer trusted me to be around them. I attacked the police. I was a fugitive, and I was alone. There was only one person I could talk to that didn't know any of this yet. As much as it pained me to say it...

...I had to talk to Kehrimohr.

**End Chapter 12**

There you have it folks. Kahrik is in trouble for what he _almost_ did to Groudon. His friends no longer trust him because of that little bout with The Shadow, and now he's on the run. Yes, I know this is reminiscent of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue and Red Rescue Team (fugitive), but it's better than just having him arrested and then not being able to do anything with him until he's released. And if you can't tell by now, I like the first 252 Pokemon. Seriously, how many 3rd to 5th Gen Pokemon have I used other than your Pokemon? A few from the 5th Gen that made cameos... and a couple others I think. Not a whole lot.

Yes, I am making Kahrik face his father in the next chapter.

No, he does not want to.

And no, I'm not going to tell you how that's going to turn out.

See? Didn't even have to _ask_ those questions.

**Coming Soon! Chapter 13: A Meeting with Destiny!**

**EVIL TEAM MEMBERS APPLY HERE.**


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